The Supreme Court has upheld Sly Ezeokenwa as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), effectively resolving the prolonged leadership crisis within the party. In two unanimous judgments delivered on Wednesday, a five-member panel of the apex court declared that Edozie Njoku’s claim to the APGA chairmanship was unfounded.
Justice Stephen Adah, who read the lead judgment, clarified that the court’s 2021 decision in case SC/CV/687/2021 only granted declaratory reliefs, which are non-executory and cannot be enforced. He noted that the earlier judgment also held that the issue of political party leadership is an internal matter, further undermining Njoku’s claim.
The panel condemned Njoku’s attempt to seek enforcement of a judgment that contained no enforceable orders and faulted lower court judges for entertaining his case. The court set aside the Abuja Court of Appeal’s decision of June 28, 2024, which had upheld a High Court ruling declaring Njoku as APGA chairman.
The apex court ruled that its previous decision, corrected on March 24, 2023, did not confer any enforceable rights to Njoku. Additionally, the court awarded N20 million in costs against two members of the Njoku-led faction in each of the three appeals, bringing the total to N60 million.
Reacting to the verdict, Sly Ezeokenwa lauded the judiciary for its decisive and impartial judgment. He described the ruling as a triumph of justice and a demonstration of the judiciary’s role as the last hope of the common man.
Ezeokenwa remarked:
“Today, I am very proud of our judiciary as the last hope of the common man. With its erudite judgments, the court has effectively ended the leadership dispute in our party and affirmed my position as chairman.
“Unfortunately, selfish and inordinate ambitions have destabilized the party and wasted resources. But justice has now prevailed, and we can focus on rebuilding our structures.”
The ruling is expected to restore stability within APGA, paving the way for unity and effective leadership under Ezeokenwa’s chairmanship.
