… Says imposing a stranger on a party as Chairman is miscarriage of Justice
… Describes Aguma as Wike’s lackey, mole in APC
… Appeals to party faithful for calm, describes ‘setback’ as a strengthening process
By Ibrahim Bakare
A palpable gloom of apprehension plainly saturated the entire civil society and political atmosphere in the city of Port Harcourt and environs on 9th June, 2020 given a High Court ruling which defiled all known tenets of democracy and principles of natural Justice to impose leadership on the Rivers APC, an act which legal barons, political watchers, interest groups and people of goodwill have severally described as alien to the jurisprudence of civil action and a log on the wheel of Justice delivery.
Reacting to the ugly situation, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the judgement which declared a former House of Reps member and Gov. Wike’s ardent ally, Igo Aguma, as interim Chairman of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress, is but a manifestation of a clandestine attempt and satanic collaboration to sniff life off the party in the state by leaving it in perpetual crisis.
In a statement made available to media houses, the party chief said the judgement may have been displayed on the judge’s shelf and subsequently handed in favour a corrupt bidder who curries favour with some evil collaborators who are hell bent on wrecking the party in a bid to giving a leeway for the continuous occupation of the PDP in the brick house beyond 2023.
Recall that two matters relating to the Rivers APC crisis were dispensed by a Port Harcourt High Court presided over by Justice Omereji, who assumed jurisdiction, despite several issues raised on his competence to entertain the matter on grounds of bias.
Dele Moses & 9 Ors. had approached the court to declare them authentic candidates for the party’s congresses in the state.
While Hon. Igo Aguma, on the other hand had gone to court, challenging the composition of the caretaker committee for the party in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Omereji granted all prayers of Dele Moses & Ors., to the effect that only those who bought forms to contest in the 2018 congresses of the APC in the state should be allowed to participate in any fresh congresses whenever it is rescheduled and interested party members wishing to vie for any position are barred from doing so, a decision which Eze said is a rape on the constitutional right of members.
On the other hand, Justice Omereji did not just end at granting all the prayers of Aguma, he went beyond the bounds of Aguma’s prayers to impose him Caretaker Chairman of the Rivers APC.
Expressing shock over the ruling, Eze wondered where Omereji derived the powers to override not just the APC but the Nigerian Constitution to declare Aguma Chairman of Rivers APC against the wishes of stakeholders members.
Eze recalled that the leadership of the Port Harcourt City Local Government Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has sometime in February, 2020 disowned Aguma based on his reckless, ill-conceived and malicious conduct against the leader of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State (the Hon. Minister for Transportation) and the All Progressives Congress.
Eze quoted the Port Harcourt leadership of the party through her leader, Hon. Nwuche of stating thus: “Without mincing words, we wish to state in very clear terms that Igo Aguma’s reckless behaviour in recent times came to us as a rude shock. Consequently, we hereby disown him and his cohorts”.
The statement further reads: “that Igo Aguma’s latest onslaught against the leader of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who has been of immense help to him and members of his family speak volume of his kind of person. We know as a fact that the Hon. Minister for Transportation has favoured Igo Aguma in the areas of political appointments, contracts, and financial support than the rest of us in the Port Harcourt Local Government. It, therefore, beats our imagination that the same lgo Aguma will unleash such manner of attack(s) on his benefactor on the pages of Newspapers. To this end, we remind him of the old saying that “it is unethical to bite the finger that feeds one.”
The part Chief noted that Aguma’s success in politics was made possible by Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, who appointed him (Aguma) Commissioner of Sports, else Aguma had no place in politics.
Eze maintained that Aguma has since lost his membership of the APC after he was disowned by the LGA leadership of the party. The party stalwart quoted, Hon. Nnamdi Nwuche, the Leader of the party in Port Harcourt City as disowning Aguma thus: “the party arrived at the decision of disowning Aguma after wide consultation with the stakeholders of the party that he (Aguma) would henceforth cease to be part of the party in the LGA. We thought Hon. Igo Aguma was one of us, but it is clear that he is one of the molls planted in the party. He is no longer part of us. Anywhere we are sitting he is no more to be with us”.
The party disclosed this decision at a world press conference after the 53rd stakeholders meeting of the 20 wards of the party in the area and it is on record.
Eze queried the basis on which the court imposed an ostracised Aguma as the Sole Administrator of a party which membership he has lost haven connived with the opposition to implement the satanic agenda of the Peoples Democratic Party and some external forces that feel that Amaechi is a threat to their 2023 Presidential aspiration.
It becomes sad that Justice George Omereji who is expected to retire from the Bench in few days time should be used to deliver such a hatchet job of imposing a disowned member of the party as the Sole Administrator of the party in a State like Rivers. This judgement is not only strange, unconstitutional, horrific and satanic but also a miscarriage of Justice and therefore unacceptable as it is unheard of in a democratic setting.
“the court judgement of 9th June, 2020 is a miscarriage of justice and against all known norms of natural justice and that it will not stand because an imposter can not lead the State chapter in any form”. Eze said.
“I am a strong believer in natural justice which is supreme, I wish to urge all and sundry not to be bothered of all these gangups as it will amount to a hoarse. It is just matter of time.”
Eze reiterated that Hon Aguma is Wike’s lackey and a mole planted to destabilize APC but assured party faithful to remain calm as this ‘setback’ will assist to strengthening the party to forge ahead in its vision of not only reclaiming the State come 2023 but to bring hope and sanity to governance in Rivers State.
Eze explained to his friend, Chief Nyesom Wike that his strategy of using Aguma for the plot has backfired.
“The plan to use Aguma to install a stooge to succeed you to continue the enslavement, impoverishment and underdevelopment of Rivers state and her people has backfired and will certainly not hold water”.
Eze accepted the mandate of the court that the party should allow members of the party loyal to Senator Magnus Abe, who purchased form for the congresses of the party in 2018, to take part in the Congresses of the party whenever it will be held but disagreed over the denial of interested members to vie for offices, stressing that it negates the rule of equity, equality and natural justice.
He further averred that imposing a well known lackey of Governor Nyesom Wike to lead APC in a bid to implement Wike’s agenda is an exercise in futility.
Eze educated in advance, those who may query his stand – that as the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct nPDP and a member of its National Executive Council, he was one of those that midwifed the formation of APC and should be in position to state who among some of the current noisemakers who are truly members of the APC in Rivers State.
Eze concluded by stating that, “When a court of justice fails to use the court to do Justice, it seizes to be a court of Justice but a bakery of iniquity and does not deserve the respect and obedience of the people”.