APGA Crisis: Factional chairman freed from prison, speaks on experience

The factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Edozie Njoku, has described his two days in prison as the best experience of his life.

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Bwari, Abuja on Wednesday, granted Mr Njoku and National Youth Leader of APGA, Chukwuemeka Nwoga, bail over a forgery allegation.

Messrs Njoku and Nwagu were arraigned on Monday by the police for allegedly forging a Supreme Court judgement in the ongoing tussle over the leadership of the party.

The judge, Mohammed Madugu, remanded them at Suleja Correctional Centre on Monday for two days.

At the resumed hearing on their bail applications, Mr Madugu ruled that there was no need to deny them bail since there was no counter affidavit by the prosecution on the bail application by the defence party. He noted that the offences were bailable.

The bail was on the condition that the surety must be a civil servant of Grade Level 15 resident in Abuja or an owner of a landed property in Abuja with a certified Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O).

Mr Njoku and Victor Oye have been locked in a battle for the leadership of the party.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Mr Njoku maintained that he did not forge the Supreme Court judgement. He described the allegation as a “slap on the face of the judiciary.”

“Just because some characters feel that power is slipping off their hands, they decided to ridicule the Supreme Court by saying that my humble self could go and forge a Supreme Court judgement,” he said.

Mr Njoku added that the judgement was delivered by Mary Odili, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court. He said the allegation of forgery is an attempt to soil the character of the retired judge.

Speaking on the crisis rocking the party, Mr Njoku appealed to Charles Soludo, the Governor of Anambra State and the only APGA governor , to allow the party to present a united front in the event of a presidential runoff.

He added that APGA was founded to engage political interests across the country, not just for winning the governorship election in Anambra State.

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Mr Njoku reiterated that there is a possibility that the 2023 presidential election may not end at the first ballot, hence, APGA must be prepared to engage.

“This election might not even come to one person winning. There may be a run-off. In a run-off, we will engage for the best. We will not victimise anybody. Come to the table of APGA today let’s move forward.

“All those who have sympathy for APGA, please, rally round for us to do well in 2023. The setback has been so much. I have no annoyance towards anybody going to Suleja for two days. Honestly, on my honour, I learnt so much. I thank God for giving me that experience,” he said.

Electoral runoff in Nigeria is possible if none of the candidates is able to get the highest votes cast and 25 per cent in 24 of the 36 states of the country.