By Marcus Bassey, Uyo
Despite the Declaratory Judgement delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, that Obong Stephen Leo Ntukekpo, be sworn in as the authentic chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Akwa Ibom State, the erstwhile Acting National Secretary of the defunct Caretaker Convention Extra-Ordinary Planning Committee (CCEPC), James Udoedehe has continued to defy Court orders by recognising and parading the sacked Augustine Ekanem, as chairman.
Appeal Court Judgement on the case was also delivered in favour of the Ntukekpo chairmanship, after the APC; a major appellant, publicly withdrew from the appeal. The Court thereby, ordered that the status quo, that was in existence before the Appeal be maintained.
By the Appeal court pronouncement, the status quo was the continued recognition of Ntukekpo as the duly elected chairman of the party in Akwa Ibom State.
Since the Federal High Court and Appeal Court judgements were delivered against the preferred chairmanship candidate of the former Acting National Secretary, Udoedehe has continued to flout the orders of the court by recognising the sacked state chairman; Augustine Ekanem as the state chairman, inspite of the directive of the national leadership of the party to the contrary.
The question begging for answer on the crass display of impunity by Udoedehe is if his action (s) is(are) based on ignorance of the rule of law or acute disregard for the rule of law and the national leadership of the APC, which advised against such attitude by party members.
Udoedehe’s disregard for the current leadership of the party was further demonstrated when he issued the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a 24hr Ultimatum to rescind the decision of the NWC on the Akwa Ibom APC Chairmanship, or be ready to have his days with him in court.
It would also be recalled that Udoedehe’s deep romance with impunity, disregard for constituted procedures and processes while in office, led to a vote of no confidence passed on him by 10 out of the 12 member Caretaker Committee, few days to his exit from office. As a result of the vote of no confidence on him by his colleagues, he never sat with them until they left office on 26th March, 2022.
His invitation card for a Deception sorry, Reception Ceremony in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, has exposed his total disregard for the rule of law and disrespect and disloyalty to the party, when he addressed the sacked chairman as the authentic chairman of the party.
(copy of the Invitation Card here attached.
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