Ebonyi APC Chieftains sue caretaker committee, seek dissolution
The Chieftains of the Ebonyi State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, to prevent the party’s Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Aloy Nwibo from presiding over its affairs in the State.
In the originating summons of the suit, the 16 Chieftains of the party led by Chukwuma Odu stated that the Caretaker Committee of Nwibo, Stanley Okoro, and Ogbomaya Iboke was unlawfully constituted and urged the court to recognise Jeff Ogbu and John Okochi as duly elected officers in their place.
The plaintiffs alleged that the constitution of the Caretaker Committee by Nwibo and others amounted to a breach of Article 47 (i), (ii), (iii) of the APC Constitution.
They prayed the court for “A declaration that the purported constitution and recognition of a caretaker committee led by the seventh, ninth defendants and others, made up of non-members of the APC to take over the activities of elected members of Ebonyi which is in breach of Article 9 (I) of the APC 2014 and the fourth defendants (All Progressives Congress National Executive Committee’s) resolution-decision of December 8, 2020.
“A declaration that by the said resolution of December 8, 2020 the fifth and sixth defendants and other composed members remains the valid state working committee of the APC Ebonyi State.”
The APC Chieftains also prayed “the court to make an order stopping the Nwibo-led Committee from conducting the registration and revalidation of members of the party in Ebonyi State.”
They also sought an order of the court restraining the APC, the Chairman Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni, the National Caretaker Committee of the party, and the National Executive of the party, who were joined as the first to fourth defendants respectively, from recognizing the Nwido-led committee.
The Chieftains prayed the court to determine “whether by the provision of Article 17 (I) (ii) (iv) of the All Progressives Congress Constitution 2014, first to fourth defendants were right to dissolve the duly elected Ebonyi State Working Committee of APC in December 2020 while the duration of their tenure in office is still subsisting till the year 2022.”
In court, the counsel to the plaintiffs, Prince Amazu, orally applied to the court for a short adjournment to enable him to serve all the defendants.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed adjourned the matter till September 1.
NP/Mercy Chukwudiebere
