The National Chairman of the opposition All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku yesterday enjoined the citizenry to exercise restraint on the Supreme Court verdict which declared Senator Hope Uzordinma as the duly elected Governor of Imo state.
Njoku who briefed reporters after an Abuja federal high court upheld his election as substantive chairman of the party frowned at notions held in certain quarters that the decision by the apex court was a travesty of justice.
The APGA chief said he would not join the bandwagon of kicking against the Supreme court decision which tossed Mr Emeka Ihedioha out of power in Imo state.
Said he: “I have not really looked at that case fully to read through what transpired. But what I am against is when we sit down to cast aspersions at the supreme court or the appeal court or any other courts. I cannot get up and start making categorical statements on the decision.”
Nevertheless, he believed that the immediate review of the electoral Act paving the way for the introduction of electronic voting will curb the outcry surrounding the outcome of elections in the polity.
The APGA chief who had a running battle with Dr Victor Oye over the legality of his election held in Owerri May last year before the matter came to an abrupt end in his favour promised to reconcile aggrieved members of the party.
He listed former Anambra Governor, Mr Peter Obi and national chairman of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie , as among chieftains of the party he would reach out to in a bid to reposition the party.
Said he: “The party needs to be rebuilt. I contested for the seat of the national chairman of the party in 2007, 2015, and I contested now. I was the first Vice national chairman of the party when we started the party. We had a vision when we started the party and we are heading back to that vision .
“The most important thing is reconciliation. I am not one of those who will say we will expel this person and that person. Even if you are the biggest enemy of the party we would try and bring you back because in that your ward you are very important.
” If you have committed the greatest sins of the party so long as it is not a criminal offence in Nigeria, we will try and talk to you so that we will all be brothers. We will meet all the people that left the party from A to Z, we will go back and visit them .
“We will go to all those who were in APGS, I didn’t make any exception . so it must also include him. Chekwas Okorie is literally the one who made me national vice chairman . and the party has not been fair to him. He is the founding father of APGA. “
The Court verdict in Njoku’s favour followed the decision by Oye to file a notice for the discontinuance of the suit no: FCT/HC/HV/2086/2019 , thereby bringing to an end his challenge of his election and purported injunction restraining him from carrying out his duties as the national chairman of APGA.
