Maxi Okwu, who was elected the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, last month, has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s recognition of Victor Umeh as the substantive national chairman of the party. This is contained in a statement he personally signed on Friday.
The Commission had, in a letter dated May 8 and signed by its Secretary, Abdullahi Kaugama, said it will relate with Mr. Umeh as the national chairman of the party based on the stay of one of the reliefs of the Enugu State High Court of February 8 by the Court of Appeal.
Mr. Umeh had been removed from the position by the Enugu High Court, prompting some senior members of the party, including Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, to name Mr. Okwu as its acting national chairman.
A national convention of the party held in Awka, the capital of Anambra State and monitored by INEC on April 8, elected Mr. Okwu as a substantive national chairman even though Mr. Umeh appealed the judgement that sacked him.
However, INEC based its latest action on a relief granted by the Enugu State High Court presided over by Innocent Umezulike, the state Chief Judge, but which Mr. Okwu denounced.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by letter dated 8th May 2013, and signed by its Secretary Alhaji A. Kaugama says that based on the stay of one of the reliefs of the Enugu state High Court judgment of 8th February 2013 by the Court of Appeal, it shall relate with Victor Umeh as National Chairman of APGA,” Mr. Okwu said.
“We do not accept the Commissions’ posture for so many reasons. We will therefore work assiduously to see that this position is reversed as soon as possible.”
The embattled APGA boss said that the NWC will give a detailed response on INEC’s action after its meeting on Monday. He also said that 21 out of the 26 NWC members Mr. Umeh headed belong to his own NWC.
According to him, “It may be useful to mention that in this NWC, twenty one of then served in Victor Umeh’s twenty-six member NWC.”
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