The crisis within the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) escalated on Thursday as National Chairman Edozie Njoku warned Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo to recognize his leadership or face severe consequences.
The warning came after the Appeal Court dismissed the Sylvester Ezeokenwa faction’s motion seeking a stay of execution on the court judgment ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Njoku as APGA’s National Chairman.
On Thursday in Abuja, the Appeal Court delivered its ruling, reaffirming Njoku’s legitimacy and dismissing the Ezeokenwa faction’s bid to halt the judgment’s implementation.
Despite multiple court judgments, Soludo has refused to recognize Njoku’s leadership, fueling the party’s internal conflict.
Speaking to journalists after the Appeal Court’s ruling, Njoku said Soludo’s continued opposition would no longer be tolerated, stressing that it is now or never for the governor and his supporters to embrace peace.
He said, “A narrative was created that there are some fresh facts and the Court of Appeal is going to throw me out. They went to all the TV stations to create a narrative that there was something wrong with the clear judgment passed by the Court.
“We’ve gone to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has been clear. The lower court, which has the right to enforce, has enforced. It has moved up to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal has affirmed the enforcement of the lower courts, and they are still going around, causing tension everywhere, trying to send our party backward.
READ ALSO: One feared dead, as gunmen kidnap Mankinde’s ally
Insecurity: Gani Adams wants South-West governors to partner OPC
“The governor is putting so much energy into having my recognition in INEC removed, but my removal is not possible because it’s based on the law. It’s based on facts. It’s based on the fact that I won the convention in Owerri. Before you can remove me from INEC, you must disprove the fact that I was elected chairman in the Owerri convention.
“They did so much to remove me, but through the grace of God, and knowing that the fact is on our side, it is impossible for them to remove me as National Chairman. Time is no longer on their side; it is now or never for them to embrace peace.”