The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu yesterday adjourned to April 8, 2013 for ruling on a motion for stay of execution of the judgement of an Enugu High Court that restrained Victor Umeh from parading himself as the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
LEADERSHIP recalls that the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike, had in his ruling in February voided the National Convention of APGA held on February 10, 2011 that led to the emergence of Umeh and other members of the National Working Committee of the party on the ground that the convention was not in accordance with the party’s constitution.
The judgment followed an action filed by an APGA member, Okuli Jude Ejike who contested that the 2011 re-election of Umeh and his National Working Committee at the party’s national convention in Awka, Anambra State was unconstitutional and should be declared null and void.
Dissatisfied with the judgement, Umeh approached the Court of Appeal, Enugu asking it to set aside the judgement on the ground that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
Moving his motion yesterday at the appeal court, Enugu,? Umeh, through his counsel, Patrick Ikweato prayed for stay of execution of the earlier judgment delivered by the lower court pending the determination of the appeal.
He also prayed the court to grant accelerated hearing on the appeal and told the court that some people were planning to conduct a national convention.
But there was a mild drama in court when one Jude Okuli, a respondent in the suit, rushed in and told the court that he was not served.
Although the presiding judge, Galinge Kwassami ignored Okuli for sometime, he later ordered the bailiff to serve Okuli inside the court, a development that delayed the sitting of the court.
Justice Kwassami adjourned the matter? to 8th April 2013 for ruling on the application for stay of execution of the judgment of the lower court brought before it by Victor Umeh.
Reacting to the judgment, the sacked national Chairman of APGA, Victor Umeh, stated that the leadership of the party at the national level was removed when he and 28 members of the national working committee of the party were sacked.
He, however, expressed satisfaction that the court of appeal has taken up the matter, saying nobody could pretend that the appeal was not ongoing.
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