COURT SACKS UMEH AS APGA CHAIRMAN

An Enugu High Court, yesterday ordered Chief Victor Umeh to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) on the ground that no valid national convention of the party has taken place since his tenure expired in 2010.

The court, presided over by the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike, said Umeh’s stay in office after his tenure expired in 2010 was illegal, adding that it contravened some sections of the constitution of the party.

Umezulike further ruled that the purported national convention of the party, which took place  in 2011 at Awka, Anambra State and subsequently led to the re-election of Umeh as the national chairman of the party, also contravened the constitution of the party.

The Enugu State chief judge averred that the constitution of the party made it very clear that the election of national officers of the party, including the national chairman must be through secret ballot, stating that the said national convention in 2011 ignored the provisions of the party’s constitution and went ahead to adopt a unanimous voice vote.

He stated that from the reasons adduced by the plaintiff, what took place during the said convention was a ratification of the list of some people, contrary to the provisions of the constitution of the party.

The said convention, he further ruled, was not convoked by the National Executive Committee of the party in accordance with its constitution.

The presiding judge, therefore, ruled that the tenure of Umeh came to an end on 2nd December, 2010 as there was no valid convention that re-elected him.

He declared that the defendant (Umeh) could only be re-elected through a secret ballot in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the party, and therefore, restrained him from functioning as the national chairman of the party.

Source: Leadership