Imo APC Leadership Crisis: Supreme Court Affirmation Of Daniel Nwafor’s Chairmanship Causes Stir In Imo APC
The Supreme Court has affirmed Daniel Nwafor as the authentic Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Imo State.
A five-man panel of justices of the apex court led by Justice Kayode Ariwola, delivered the judgement on the merit of a suit that was seeking to set aside the judgement of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which sacked Mr Nwafor as the Chairman of the APC in Imo state.
The ruling APC had through its lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, contended that the appellate court erred in law when it okayed Nwafor’s removal, based on a pre-election matter that was lodged before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by one of its chieftains in the state.
Earlier, an Abuja High Court had in a ruling by Justice Othman Musa delivered on July 20, 2020, ordered Nwafor not to enforce or give effect to a 2018 judgement of the court that recognised him as Chairman of APC in Imo state, pending the determination of the appeal that was filed by the party.
Justice Musa had stated that the crux of the appeal by the APC was that at the time the court entertained the suit that led to the judgement that recognized Nwafor as its Chairman in Imo, it was more than 14 days from the date it held congresses in the state.
Consequently, while granting an order to set aside the judgement, Justice Musa issued an injunctive order that restrained Nwafor from functioning as chairman, pending the determination of the case, an order that now has been superseded by the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Following the victory at the apex court today, Mr Daniel Nwafor addressed the media declaring that his faction is the only one recognized by law and as such, all the activities carried out by the caretaker committee including especially the election of delegates for all positions in the current party primaries process are null and void.
He advice the party to immediately recognize his chairmanship and authority within his purview, lest the party risks not having any National and State Assembly members come 2023.
