APGA chairperson threatens to suspend Soludo, others

APGA has been facing a leadership crisis which has split the party into two factions – Mr Njoku leads one faction, while the other, which Governor Soludo backs, is led by Sly Ezeokenwa.

The National Chairperson of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Edozie Njoku, on Wednesday, threatened to suspend Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State over alleged anti-party activities.

Mr Njoku made the remarks after attending a proceeding at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit filed by some persons allegedly sponsored by Mr Soludo against the party.

He said that 80 per cent of the APGA hierarchy had agreed to suspend the governor and others for alleged anti-party activities.

He said the party would announce others’ names to sanitise and instil discipline, decorum, and orderliness in the party.

“Remember what the Chairman of the APGA BoT said, that we, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, should take action so that we don’t look like toothless bulldogs.

“One of those people to be suspended is the governor, and I’m saying, are we going to suspend the only governor we have?

“But if the only governor we have is pretending or playing to the gallery, making these honest people go in and commit anti-party activities, we must nip this in the bud,” he said.

According to Mr Njoku, the suit filed was aimed at securing an interim injunction for INEC to stop recognising him (Njoku) as the “authentic” national chairperson of APGA.

“Unfortunately for them, the court presided over by Justice James Omotosho had refused to grant the application, insisting that they must put the national chairman of APGA and others on notice,” he said.

He alleged that Mr Soludo had thwarted every move by the Supreme Court and INEC to recognise the NWC to restore peace in the party.

“If you remember, just about a week ago or two weeks ago, we just left the Court of Appeal, where a stay was applied at the Court of Appeal to stop me from being recognised by INEC.

“Despite the fact that the Supreme Court said in their own words that the removal of Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman of APGA is not justiciable, they still came to court.

“They went to Awka and filed a suit. Suddenly, the judge in Awka was very smart, and he pulled out of it.

“They came to the Federal High Court again. They filed another one behind our back.

“They were applying for an interim injunction behind the back of the national chairman of the party, behind the back of APGA, behind the back of the orders of the Court of Appeal.

“They went forward behind the back of APGA and INEC, and INEC has written that everything they said is not true,” he said.

He said if a suit would be filed in court, it must be backed by the authority of the party.

Background

APGA has been facing a leadership crisis, which has split the party into two factions—one led by Mr Njoku and the other, which Governor Soludo backs, led by Sly Ezeokenwa.

The Anambra State Government last month sealed the state office of the faction led by Mr Njoku.

The building in Udoka Housing Estate, Awka, also houses the campaign office of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

(NAN)