A common Igbo parlance holds that if a man practices how to run mad for a decade, his agnates and cognates would be impelled to inquiry how many years such a person intends to remain mad.
Yet, mad men in their presumed unconscious state surreptitiously abide by the rule of no go areas. That is why renowned itinerant mad men maintain a reasonable distance from certain quarters. By so doing, such mad men consciously or unconsciously respect the eternal law of self-preservation. Obviously, caveats and caution signs with the inscription NO GO AREAS have no exception to the rule.
Therefore, the above premise captures the need to sensitize and educate the general public of the macabre dance being staged by the trio of Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf.
On June 15, 2021, Jude Okeke, Kabiru Yusuf and Ikechukwu Chukwunyere and others made a live broadcast which was aired by many televisions across the country alleging that they have suspended Chief Edozie Njoku, the authentic National Chairman of APGA from the party. Evidence from that live broadcast saw Jude Okeke lay claims that he has assumed office as the Acting National Chairman of APGA, while Kabiru Yusuf claimed to be the National Secretary of APGA, Rabiu Garba Aliyu claimed to be the Deputy National Chairman North and Ikechukwu Chukwunyere claimed to be the Publicity Secretary of APGA.
On June 22, 2021, Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf procured judgment from Jigawa State High Court at Birnin Kudu in Suit No. JDU/022/2021 presided over by His Lordship Hon. Justice Musa Ubale. Evidently, Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf lied under oath, falsified documents and misled the Judiciary. Unarguably, the said judgment was characterized by massive and audacious fraud designed to misconstrue and misrepresent facts. Painfully, the judgment was hinged on these irresponsible, irreconcilable and dubious constructions made available to the Court by Jude Okeke, Kabiru Yusuf and Rabiu Garba Aliyu.
The trial Judge, gave his judgment based on the evidence before it and the affidavits deposed by the trio of Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf. However, a careful study of that judgment reveals cacophony of audacious and lethal forgery, perjury, conspiracy and impersonation by the Jude Okeke led group; which has dire implications on the judiciary and national security of Nigeria.
For the avoidance of doubt, Jude Okeke, Kabiru Yusuf, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere and Rabiu Aliyu are not members of APGA by any stretch of imagination and conjectures. This position is the truth and also a fact.
While the purported suspension of Chief Edozie Njoku by Jude Okeke and others dominated the mainstream and social media spaces; the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku busied itself with preparations for Anambra governorship primaries scheduled for June 29, 2021.
Despite the melodrama being staged by Jude Okeke and others, on June 29, 2021, Chief Edozie Njoku’s led APGA conducted its Governorship Primary at Finotel Hotel, Awka; where the delegates of the Party drawn from the 326 Wards of Anambra State unanimously gave Chief Edozie Njoku the honour to hold the Party’s ticket on TRUST as our candidate.
Relying on the Jigawa judgment, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) replaced our candidate’s name (Chief Edozie Njoku) with that of Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji whom Jude Okeke claims emerged from his own convention.
INEC is a creation of the law. Therefore, as a law abiding institution, the Commission in its list of candidates for Parties in Anambra Governorship Election smartly indicated Court Order against Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji’s name. This is sequel to the Jigawa’s judgment.
Based on this, the National Executive Council (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) of APGA having carried out a clinical study of the contents of that judgment hereby raise alarm as follows;
Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf are not members of APGA and did not participate at the APGA convention that held on May 31, 2019 at Owerri; where Chief Edozie Njoku emerged as the National Chairman of the Party. It has become pertinent to make this categorically clear, especially, as His Lordship Hon. Justice Musa Ubale has relied on their claims as members of the Party, as a premise to grant them hearing and passed judgment.
The entire process that led to that judgment was built on a false premise. The premise and crux of this matter is that Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf desperately and deliberately set out to derail trial Judge through acts of forgery, perjury and impersonation.
A true reflection of the APGA executives that emerged from the May 31, 2019 convention held at Owerri is contained in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of Suit No: FHC/BAU/CS/10/2020, wherein, the NEC held a meeting and a resolution was reached that Barr. Hamman Buba Ghide, the National Legal Adviser and Adamu Danjuma Musa, Deputy National Chairman North were mandated to represent the Party in the matter.
The APGA constitution which Jude Okeke and his clique presented to His Lordship Hon. Justice Musa Ubale of the Jigawa State High Court at Birnin Kudu in Suit No. JDU/022/2021 which he quoted copiously in the said judgment doesn’t exist. You can imagine how far Jude Okeke and his clique had to go to derail the Temple of justice.
In Suit No. JDU/022/202, Rabiu Garba Aliyu in his affidavit as the plaintiff lied under oath when he claimed to be a member of APGA and also part of the executives that emerged from the convention held at Owerri on May 31, 2021, but, yet failed to present an updated membership card of the Party.
Alhaji Rabiu Garba Aliyu claims to be Deputy National Chairman North, in paragraph 8 of his affidavit, in support of the originating summons affirmed ‘that before the election of the plaintiff (Alhaji Rabiu Garba Aliyu) the tenure of the former National Officers of the Party elapsed thereby creating vacancies and need for election of new National Officers.’
Interestingly, from the above, Rabiu affirmed the expiration of Oye and Labaran Maku’s tenure, as National Chairman and Secretary, respectively; yet, in Exhibit 1 he presented which is Party Card No: 0823260, it is somewhat amorphous and ambiguous that Rabiu tendered a Party card that bears the signatories of Oye and Maku. This observation is interesting; but, not impressive. Is it not shameful that the APGA card with which he swore an oath in Exhibit 1 erroneously bears Oye’s signature. A supposed executive of the Party should be in possession of the new Party card and constitution that were adopted at the May 31, 2019 convention.
By claiming to be APGA’s Deputy National Chairman South, Jude Okeke is actually impersonating Chief Henry Freedom Okwuchukwu. By claiming to be APGA’s Deputy National Chairman North, Rabiu Garba Aliyu is actually impersonating Alhaji A. D Musa. By claiming to be the National Secretary of APGA, Kabiru Yusuf is actually impersonating Muhyideen Imam.
APGA Constitution Section 8 which deals with REMOVAL/SUSPENSION FROM OFFICE OF NATIONAL CHAIRMAN states that ‘resolutions for the removal or suspension of the National Chairman from office must be reached at the NEC and endorsed by the NWC’. Section 8 (a) went further to buttress that ‘the NEC shall set up a 5 man Disciplinary Committee which must be published in 3 National Newspapers’.
Assuming Jude Okeke is a member of APGA and the National Deputy Chairman South as he claims; the question that discerning minds should ask is, did his purported suspension of Chief Edozie Njoku meet up with Section 8 and subsection 8 (a)? If not, one wonders why Jude Okeke should impose his constitution on APGA.
It is worthy to note that Subsection 8 (b) of APGA Constitution states that ‘in the event of the suspension of the National Chairman, the Deputy National Chairman from his/her zone will automatically assume office in acting capacity. This acting period must not exceed 3 months. After which the suspended National Chairman resumes office’.
Here again, subsection 8 (b) of the APGA grundnorm exposes Jude Okeke eternal inclination to fraud. Going by the claims of Jude Okeke, his presumed suspension of Chief Edozie Njoku took effect from March, 2021. Exhibit D 10 of the CTC from Jigawa Court which is the report of the Disciplinary Committee dated March 10, 2021 is an indication that the purported suspension commenced in March, 2021.
Constitutionally, the purported suspension of Chief Edozie Njoku is meant to have ended in May, 2021. It is therefore laughable that Jude Okeke appeared on national television on June 15, 2021 to act one of the most bizarre scripts in human history. The Constitution of APGA has no room for INDEFINITE SUSPENSION as contained in exhibit D10.
Section 10 of APGA Constitution maintains ‘in the event of suspension of a National Chairman/Officer, the resolution of the NEC on matters of suspension and accompanying letter must be published in a National Newspaper’.
Please, was Jude Okeke’s purported suspension of the National Chairman published in National Newspaper?
Going forward, Section 9 of APGA Constitution on matters of DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE states that ‘if a National Chairman is found to have misappropriated fund and abused his/her office, a Disciplinary Committee shall be set. And, they shall write to the official bank of the Party and obtain a copy of Bank Statement as evidence to prove the allegation of misappropriation. The bank statement shall be published in at least one National Newspaper to ensure the accused is not being maligned’.
Assuming Jude Okeke is a member of our Party like he alleges, did they follow this process? It is good to inform Nigerians that the NWC of APGA studied various crisis that have rocked political Parties, since the Fourth Republic, and came up with a Constitution that has the capacity to withstand infantile Party tricks that often trigger crisis in the Party.
Section 9 (a) goes on to state that the ‘Disciplinary Committee shall conclude its investigations and findings within 10 days’. They are to submit their report to the National Executive Council. Again, Section 9 (a) exposes Jude Okeke and others as impostors. In the APGA Constitution, the Disciplinary Committee has no powers to recommend the suspension of a National Chairman. Matters of suspension and removal of the National Chairman from office is the prerogative of the NEC and NWC. They do not require any recommendation from a Disciplinary Committee set up by them to nudge them into fulfilling their obligations, when it becomes necessary.
In the Letter of Invitation purportedly written on March 1, 2021 to Chief Edozie Njoku with the caption ‘Invitation to Attend the Sitting of the Disciplinary Committee to Consider the Allegation Against you (Chief Edozie Njoku)’ we observed that the attached CTC labeled exhibit D9 which claims that the original copy of the said letter was collected by Chief Edozie Njoku is false. The truth is that Jude Okeke and others forged Chief Edozie Njoku’s signature. No letter was ever sent to Chief Njoku, let alone signing and collecting its original copy. This act is criminal, misleading and mischievous.
It is quite amazing that all the letters purportedly written by Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf was done on a forged APGA letter headed paper and with a strange address – Suit 20 Shafa Plaza Area 1, Opposite Area 3 Junction with Phone Number – 08032410186. It is worthy to note that the Party has no extended office whatsoever.
Jude Okeke alleges that a certain NEC meeting was held on February 26, 2021, where the 7man Disciplinary Committee was set up to investigate Chief Edozie Njoku on some trumped up charges which includes misappropriation of public funds.
We have an account which the National Secretary and Deputy National Chairman are signatories to; in tandem with the Party’s constitution. Therefore, based on these allegations that bother on misappropriation of fund, we most humbly request that the security agencies prevail on Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf to provide evidence of bank account and transactions that links the trio of Chief Edozie Njoku, Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf as executives and signatories to such an account. Nothing can be more convincing than this.
It is strange that the APGA membership card which Jude Okeke, the purported Deputy National Chairman South used in his affidavit belongs to the Victor Ike Oye administration. This is truly funny.
We wish to draw your attention to the fact that Jude Okeke who claims to be the Deputy National Chairman South to Chief Edozie Njoku maintained in his affidavit that Victor Oye’s tenure expired on June 4, 2019. Surprisingly, Jude Okeke backed his claims using a constitution signed by Victor Oye, as National Chairman and Labaran Maku as National Secretary. This is ridiculous. How come that Jude Okeke as the Deputy National Chairman South, as he claims, seems to be groping in the dark?
In Suit No. JDU/022/202, Jude Okeke and others claim that they held NEC meetings on February 26, 2021 and June 15, 2021; however, in tandem with INEC guidelines political parties are under obligation to inform the Commission in writing before such meetings. We, therefore, demand for a copy of such letter to INEC informing the Commission about the purported NEC meeting.
Besides, Section 15 of our constitution states that ‘All NEC meetings shall be summoned by the National Chairman through the Secretary. And, notice of all NEC meetings shall be published on a National Newspaper’.
We want to know if Jude Okeke’s purported NEC met all these requirements.
20. Jude Okeke and Rabiu Garba Aliyu claim that Chief Edozie Njoku was suspended on June 15, 2021. However, evidences from Exhibits D8, D9, D10, D 11, D12, and D13, D 14 show that they have been communicating with INEC and carrying out duties of the National Chairman before June 15, 2021. These inconsistencies indicate that Jude Okeke and others have questions to answer.
Conclusively, we wish to draw the attention of Nigerians to the fact that APGA Constitution is written in Sections and Subsections, the nomenclature Article as contained in the copy of the Constitution which Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu, Kabiru Yusuf and others submitted in court in Suit No. JDU/022/2021 at Jigawa State High Court Birnin Kudu presided over by His Lordship Hon. Justice Musa Ubale is NOT the Constitution of APGA and, therefore, has no business with APGA.
Jude Okeke, Rabiu Garba Aliyu and Kabiru Yusuf have laid mines for the Judiciary which has the propensity to blow sky-high the prestige and integrity of the Nigerian judiciary. These men are lethal bombs that pose great risk to national security of this great country and must be tamed. To allow men like these to roam streets freely, after perpetuating this magnitude of fraud, forgery and impersonation is to mock the intelligence community. These men are political unknown gun known and the security agencies are duty bound to hunt them down.
Okoro Chinedum Benedict
National Administrative Secretary,
APGA