Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal has adjourned indifinately, proceedings in the appeal filed by the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomole challenging his suspension from office.
Before today, the appellate court had on Monday stayed the execution of the ruling of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) suspending him from the party.
A three-man panel of the court led by Justice Abubakar Yahaya ordered a stay of execution and consequently, restrained the respondents in the appeal from proceeding to act or take any further steps with regard to the ruling of the FCT High Court.
The court ruled that the order would remain binding pending the hearing of Oshiomhole’s motion for interlocutory injunction slated for Friday.
The panel also unanimously restrained the respondents including the police and the Department of State Services from further giving effect to the suspension order.
But when the matter came up on Friday, a clerk of the court announced that they would not be able to sit and that a new date would be communicated to the parties.
Justice Danlami Senchi of an Abuja High Court had in an interlocutory ruling on March 4, 2020, ordered among others, that Oshiomhole should desist from parading himself as the APC Chairman.
The order was a sequel to an application of interlocutory injunction asking the court to suspend Mr Oshiomhole, having been suspended as a member of the APC by the party in Edo State.
However, Oshiomole through his lawyer, Mr Damian Dodo SAN, had same day approached the appellate court to reverse the suspension order placed on him by the lower court.
He specifically asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the suspension order of Justice Senchi and restore his position as national chairman of the APC.
In his appeal predicated on four grounds, Oshiomhole argued that the judge erred in law and arrived at a wrong conclusion which occasioned a miscarriage of justice when the court placed him on suspension at an interlocutory stage of a suit instituted against him by some aggrieved members of the party.
Oshiomhole also argued that the High Court further erred in law when it decided that he, in the performance of his duties as APC national chairman, would interfere with the court action filed against him by the aggrieved members.
He argued that the issue of duties as APC national chairman is a matter which arose from substantive issues for determination and claimed ought not to have been determined at the interlocutory stage of the main matter.
Regardless, an aggrieved member of the party and the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Chief Osita Okechukwu has insisted that Oshiomole is no longer a valid member of the party.
Okechukwu who spoke after the court session stated that, the main issue remains whether a man suspended by his ward executive can preside over same association?
“The truth is that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is no longer validly a member of APC. Don’t forget that comrade validated the suspension of Barister Inua Abdulkadir, vice chairman North West, by his ward. It’s trite law that one cannot approbate and re-approbate. Like Super King he glossed over his suspension and our great party’s constitution is scant with time, for it allows only seven days to appeal.
As of now, permit me to state that one was impressed with Mr President’s intervention, which is fatherly. Secondly, I was also enthused by Comrade Adams Oshimohole’s statement that, ‘I have learnt my lesson. I have asked everyone, whatever they consider to be my shortcomings, for forgiveness and they have forgiven me. .. I was humbled yesterday at the court.’ We all factually need peace.
“However, as a student of Political Science and one who devoted time to study dictatorship, I am skeptical and bidding my time to believe hook line and sinker Comrade Oshiohmole. As a Christian I may have forgiven him, but not all have, for history is not a witness in many instances, where a dictator has changed his colours. If he changes for good that will be an exception and we will glorify Almighty God that the virus has been curbed.
One event which will soonest test comrade’s commitment to the statement cited above, in the next few days or weeks, is the resolution of Edo State APC’s imbroglio. Albeit, without being cynical Pa Bisi Akande’s Committee cannot resolve it without his openness. The way and manner he spearheads the reconciliation with his brethren in Edo State, before the arrival of the Akande Committee will tell us whether the Osho-virus is receding. In Edo, he holds the peace banner and crisis flag,” Okechukwu stated.