APGA Leadership: Why I’m in Court of Appeal — Oye

Chief Victor Oye, National Chairman, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), says he is in the Court of Appeal to vacate the order restricting him from presiding over the party’s affairs.

An Enugu High Court had mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police to recognise Chief Martin Agbaso as the party’s Acting National Chairman.

Oye told our correspondent on Friday in Awka that the order by Justice A.R. Ozoemena on May 22 was a miscarriage of justice because he was not a party in the matter.

He said that he was in court to clear his name and get the order vacated.

“For me, I had to go to the Court of Appeal because my name was inadvertently mentioned.

“I had to go to the Court of Appeal as an aggrieved party to remedy my image; that I have been wickedly soiled by the order of the Enugu High Court.

“Those bound by the order of that court, those who were supposed to have been bound by the decision of that court were INEC and the Police.

“And these two Federal Government’s agencies are in the Court of Appeal to vacate that heinous and detestable order.

“This is because there is no part of the world where that type of order could stand,’’ he said.

Oye said he remained the authentic chairman of the party because he was produced by its national convention which was supervised by INEC, noting that Agbaso was a stranger to the party.

He said his leadership would conduct the primary election of APGA in Anambra ahead of the Nov. 18 Governorship polls in the state.

He added that the crisis would not affect the party in any way but make it stronger.

“INEC has the records of the proceedings of our national convention and I am the only one legitimately produced by that convention, so how did Martin Agbaso arise?

“We don’t know him in our party, he is a stranger, I am the national chairman of APGA and I am going to conduct the primaries to produce Obiano as candidate of the party.

“The Supreme Court has ratified Makarfi as the National Chairman of PDP going by the convention we held in Port Harcourt.

“That is the only way you can produce the national chairman of a party is through a convention, the convention produced me who produced Martin Agbaso?’’

Oye urged the judiciary to address issues in the nation’s democracy by being above board in the dispensation of justice, expressing confidence in the system as the last hope of the common man.

“I am a concerned Nigerian, I want a judiciary that is corruption-free, I want a judiciary that is fearless, I want a judiciary that will transmit justice and not injustice,’’ he said.