22nd June, 2020
Wole Afolabi, lawyer to Victor Giadom the claimant to the chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress said his client’s suspension by the Rivers State branch was contemptuous of the FCT High Court.
“By attempting to suspend Chief Giadom from the party, the characters involved are trying to force a fait accompli on the court and thereby tie the hands of the court”, Chief Wole Afolabi said.
He claimed Giadom remains the acting chairman of the APC.
Afolabi however did not react to the sack of Giadom by the party, following his 2018 resignation to contest the governorship election in Rivers.
He also did not respond to the nomination by Rivers APC of Worgu Boms, a former attorney-general of the state to replace Giadom as deputy national secretary.
Read Afolabi’s statement:
Our attention has been drawn to a Statement purportedly issued by a Livingstone Wechie, Media Adviser to the APC Rivers state Chairman, Chief Igo Aguma to the effect that the Acting National Chairman of APC, Chief Victor Giadom has been suspended from the Party. We wish to state that the statement and the purported expulsion were done contemptuously of the order of the FCT High Court issued on 16th of March, 2020, by Hon. Justice S.U Bature in Suit No. FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 which imbued Chief Victor Giadom with the authority to act as the National Chairman of the Party following the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman.
The law is trite that a member of a political party cannot be suspended from the party while he’s in court asserting a vested right as a member of the party. By attempting to suspend Chief Giadom from the party, the characters involved are trying to force a fait accompli on the court and thereby tie the hands of the court.
A similar conduct orchestrated by the PDP to expel RT. Hon. Amaechi from the party while he was in court challenging the results of the Rivers State Governorship election was condemned and rejected by the Supreme Court. The purported expulsion of Chief Giadom is ineffective and contemptuous.
We hereby urge INEC, law enforcement agencies and the general public to disregard the news of the purported expulsion of Chief Victor Giadom.
In line with the provisions of the Constitution of the APC, as affirmed by the Order of S.I.U. Bature J. and a plethora of legal authorities, Chief Victor Giadom remains the Acting National Chairman of the APC.