From Fred Itua, Abuja
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Bwari, on Wednesday, granted Edozie Njoku, a factional chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) bail on self recognition. Also granted bail was Chukwuemeka Nwoga.
The duo had been arraigned on Monday by the police authorities for allegedly forging a Supreme Court court judgement to give legitimacy to their claims as national chairman and national youth leader of APGA respectively.
Justice Mohammed Madugu remanded them at Suleja Correctional Centre on Monday for two days.
At the resumed hearing on their bail applications, Justice 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, noting that the offences were bailable.
The judge, however, conditioned the accused persons to produce a surety who 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).
Speaking in a press conference shortly after he regained his freedom, Njoku said it was a memorable experience for him going to prison.
The politician said it betrayed all conventional logics and common sense to say that he or anyone could forge the judgement of the Supreme Court.
He, however, said it was time to move the party forward, begging Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to recognize him as the national chairman of the party.
He said: “On Monday, I was remanded in prison for two days. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I was fortunate from birth that my parents sent me to one of the best public schools in England. But from public school in England to a prison cell in Nigeria was a wonderful experience. I went into prison for two days for something that every single responsible man in Nigeria should have gotten up to say how possible is this. Some characters woke up one morning because they felt they have lost out to claim that a supreme court judgement was forged.
“The NBA, the SANs, the magistrates in Nigeria could not sit up and realize that for people to say a supreme court judgement was forged is a slap on Nigeria as a nation. Just because some characters feel that power is sleeping off their hands, they decided to ridicule the supreme court by saying that my humble self could go and forge a supreme court judgement. For any human being to open his mouth and say the supreme court judgement can be forged, you can tell his mindset and where he is coming from. All Nigerians are not coming from the gutters. Nigerians are good and intelligent people who have come against their luck.
“A wife of a former governor in Nigeria for 8 years who got to the pinnacle of her career in the supreme court, retired, and wrote to say these people, this is the situation, gave me a reply. That reply was served on both aspect, the police and the supreme court. Everybody was served and then, a character who has gets up in court on Monday to say he is dragging the former supreme court judge to court to give a evidence, that she should be locked up?
“People in INEC pushed away the judgement which they can go an verify properly. They were served by the bailif of supreme court but they decided to say it is forgery. What I saw in that place I went is that Nigeria is on a time bomb and we are sitting on it. We must be very careful. We need rule of law because that is what we save our lives in this country. I was given bail on personal recognition and I don’t have to look for anybody to give me bail as the national chairman of the party. Every single person including Gov. Charles Soludo knows I am the national chairman of the party.
“How can I remove Gov. Charles Soludo? I am not the negotiating type. We will look at Nigeria and know how to engage. This election might not even come to one person winning. There may be run off. In a run off, we will engage for the best. We will not victimize anybody. Come to the table of APGA today let’s move forward. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Oye was never the chairman of APGA. He was never in Owerri.
“The convention that held in Owerri, I emerged as the as the national chairman. Unfortunately, I was removed in Jigawa and Jude Okeke was put in immediately by INEC. If it is nwayo here and there, we should have been there now that the supreme court has put me. That’s one of the things we expect in Nigeria. I have nothing against anybody.
“Oye’s tenure ended in 2019. He was never part of the Owerri’s convention. The supreme court has made their amendment and this is the part of the executive of APGA. APGA is now ready to move forward. Please, I beg Victor Oye and all those people who are in his former NWC, and I seriously beg the governor of our State, you are our only governor, you must be on the side of peace.
“That’s what your name says. It is only not only PDP and APC that are on the presidential race. There is APGA and the rest. When we sort ourselves out, we will know what we what to do from within the party. I have nothing against him. I am not after his seat. We are trying to win as many governors as we can in 2023.
“We are working to win as several house members in 2023, as many senators and others as possible. All those who have sympathy for APGA, pleae, 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 honor, I learnt so much. I thank God for giving me that experience.”