A Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu, yesterday, quashed an appeal filed by Jude Okeke and Chukwuma Umeoji against the judgment of a Federal High Court, Awka on validity of the candidature of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, in the November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra State.

Okeke, whose faction produced Umeoji in the primary, had claimed headship of the party after allegedly removing National chairman, Victor Oye.

He had, however, challenged the ruling of the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice C. C. Okaa, which held on July 19, 2021 that Oye remained National Chairman of the party and Soludo as the authentic candidate.

The Special Court of Appeal, Enugu, presided over by Justice Monica Dongban Mensem, struct out the appeal for lack of substance and awarded N100, 000 cost against Okeke in favour of Oye.

The court further held that another claimant to the chairmanship position of the party, Chief Edozie Njoku and all those purportedly elected alongside him as well as any other person purporting to have replaced him are not National Officers of APGA and cannot lawfully perform the functions of that office.

Besides, a Court of Appeal in Awka had, on August 2, 2021, struck out the appeal, when it was brought by Okeke, but counsel to the defendant filed another application for leave to appeal against Justice Okaa’s judgment.

Following the verdict, the Special Panel of the Court of Appeal had no option than to dismiss the appeal.

Report of the dismissal of the appeal by the Special panel of the Court of Appeal threw members of APGA into jubilation yesterday, as it would seem to have laid issues bordering on the validly nominated candidate of APGA for the November 6 governorship election.

Also, the Court of Appeal, Kano Division, earlier pronounced the valid APGA National Chairman and the person entitled to nominate the party’s candidate for the Anambra governorship poll.

In obedience to the Court of Appeal judgment, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) listed Soludo as APGA’s candidate for the election.