Court affirms Umeh as APGA national chairman

The Abuja Division Court of the Appeal, on Wednesday, affirmed Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), respectively, and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which sacked them and the entire leadership of the party. In allowing the appeal, the appellate court said Maxi Okwu (1st respondent) had no legal right to institute the suit, having been expelled from the party. He also berated Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court in Abuja for assuming jurisdiction in the matter, when he lacked the jurisdiction to have gone into the matter in the first place. Justice T.Y Hassan, while reading his judgment, said: “The appeal is against a Federal High Court delivered on January 15, which had dissolved the entire leadership of APGA elected in 2011 the party. I also uphold all the 12 grounds of appeal brought by the appellants.” The court also upheld the APGA convention conducted in February 10, 2011 as having complied with the provisions of the APGA constitution and held that Kafarati had no jurisdiction on the matter as there was a subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal Enugu Division, which had nullified the decision of the Enugu State High Court, presided over by the Chief of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezurike. Reacting to the judgement, Umeh said: “The Court of Appeal, this morning covered all the grounds and affirmed for a second time, the convention conducted by APGA, on February 10, 2011 which produced my leadership for another four years.” Meanwhile, former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi, in his reaction, described the victory as the will of God and His design to bring lasting peace to APGA.