16th June, 2020
By Edith Nwapi
High drama is unending in the All Progressives Congress as the Appeal Court upheld the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as chairman of the party.
The judgment coincided with the resignation of Edo governor, Godwin Obaseki from the party.
The appellate court upheld the decision of the Federal Capital Territory High Court which in March ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole and also ordered him to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the party.
In a unanimous judgment in the first appeal delivered by Justice Eunice Onyemanam ,the court held that the trial court had territorial jurisdiction to have entertained the suit as it did .
The court also withdrew Oshiomhole’s rights and privileges as national chairman of the party including his security details.
The appellate court predicated its decision on the ground that Oshiomhole as the first appellant is based in Abuja while the APC also has its national headquarters in Abuja.
In the judgment in the second appeal delivered by Justice Mohammed Lamido, the court held that there was no basis for the two appellants to hold that they were denied fair hearing during proceedings at the trial court .
It further held that the suspension of Oshiomhole from ward 10 of Etsako local government of Edo was ratified at the ward , local government and state level as required by law.
“The identities of those who suspended Oshiomhole were not in doubt because in their unchallenged affidavits, they made it clear that they were party members and officers of the party. Therefore the appeal lacks merit,” Lamido said.
In the two dismissed appeals Oshiomhole and the APC were the appellants.
On March 4, Justice Danlami Senchi, a judge of the FCT High Court in Abuja, ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole as national chairman pending the determination of a suit filed by one Oluwale Afolabi.
Senchi said it was wrong of the APC to have kept Oshiomhole as chairman after he was suspended by the Edo chapter of the party.
But Oshiomhole approached the court of appeal seeking a stay of execution of the judgement.