The leadership crisis rocking the Delta State
Chapter of the All Progressive Congress, has taken a new twist as the newly
elected party National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has taken side with
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Chief Great Ogboru led faction, overruling the
former National chairman, Chief John Oyegun on the state executive committee of
the party.
Oshiomhole
on Thursday against earlier decision of the Oyegun-led National Working
Committee by endorsed the consent judgement entered into by the party’s legal
department, objected by Oyegun, in a suit filed by Odjebobo Desire Onoyefeme
and Lyndon L.O.I Ugbome against the APC National Chairman and the APC National
Working Committee with Suit No.: FHC/ABJ/CS/509/8 on behalf of Senator Ovie
Omo-Agege and Chief Great Ogboru led faction of APC.
Reacting
to this development, the State party Chairman, Chief Cyril Ogodo, said the
party is not bound by the consent judgement procured by Ogboru/Omo-Agege
faction, because they were not party to the case, adding that; “We find this
action of the new Chairman totally inexplicable.”
The
Delta APC chairman in a press statement issued and signed by the Delta State
APC Publicity Secretary, Mr Moses Kamanya, urged party faithful to remain
steadfast in the task of rescuing Delta State from the clutch of the PDP.
The
statement reads in part: “We are not bound by consent judgment obtained by
agege/ogboru group without our consent.
“It
has come to our notice that on June 28, 2018 a consent judgement in respect of
a suit filed by Odjebobo Desire Onoyefeme and Lyndon L.O.I Ugbome against the
APC National Chairman and the APC National Working Committee with Suit No.:
FHC/ABJ/CS/509/8 was secured by the Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Chief Great
Ogboru led group of APC members in Delta State. The purport of the consent
judgment is to accord legitimacy to the Wards and LGA Executives elected at the
parallel congresses conducted by the Agege/Ogboru group which were earlier
adjudged illegal by the HE Chief John Oyegun led NWC who actually conducted,
supervised and approved the outcome of the recently conducted congresses of the
APC nationwide.
“The
attempt to procure this consent judgment came to our notice and that of the APC
NWC on June 12, 2018. The then NWC found that officers of the Legal Department
in APC without its knowledge, directive, consent and approval acted in
connivance with its appointed legal counsel to draw up terms of settlement
proposed by the Plaintiffs that were acting on behalf of the Agege/Ogboru
group. The NWC immediately debriefed the counsel and appointed a new one Messrs
Chief J. K. Gadzama SAN. in his place, with the instruction to terminate the
process of consent judgment and purported terms of settlement as they were not
authorised nor emanated from the NWC.
“The
NWC had earlier approved all congresses conducted according to its guidelines
and had inaugurated congresses won by the Chief Cyril Abeye Ogodo led
Executives in Delta State and had rejected the executives that emerged from the
Agege/Ogboru conducted parallel congresses. On June 22, 2018 the then National
Chairman personally attended court to disown the so called terms of settlement
that purportedly emanated from him and the NWC.
“It
has, however, come to our knowledge that among the very first act taken by the
new National Chairman of the party HE Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was to withdraw
the Messrs Chief J. K. Gadzama who had the brief of the erstwhile NWC to
terminate the purported consent judgment process and appoint a new counsel
Messrs Adeniyi Michael Akintola, SAN presumably with instruction to pursue and
secure the erstwhile unauthorised consent judgment in order to award through
court the Wards and LGAs Executives to the Agege/Ogboru group. We find this
action of the new Chairman totally inexplicable.
“We
the Chief Cyril Ogodo led Executives in Delta State that were duly elected and
inaugurated by the erstwhile NWC were never party to the above suit and by law
are not bound by the outcome of the said consent judgment nor can our positions
be taken away or de-legitimised by a court consent judgment entered into by two
parties without our knowledge, directive, consent or approval.
Nonetheless, we have written a Protest Letter to the National Chairman and
copied to all current NWC members pointing out this aberration and requesting
them to step away from entrenching a party faction in Delta State.”
The
statement also added; “We are also taking all legal actions to vacate the
consent judgment on the basis of it being procured through fraud and
misrepresentation as the erstwhile NWC that conducted the referenced congresses
never consented or approved any such terms of settlement.
The
State Chairman and State Working Committee in Delta State hereby call on all
party members to stay calm, steadfast and to go about their party businesses
without let or hindrance. The party executives will continue to function and
carry on the business of APC in Delta State.
“We
assure all party faithfuls that this distortion will not last. It will be
dislodged in the shortest possible time and our mission to rescue Delta State
from the stronghold of the PDP remains unshaken.”
Advocate
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