On Wednesday, Judge Mohammed Madugu of the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) High Court in Bwari vacated his earlier order committing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the immediate former Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Ike-Oye, to contempt.
Justice Madugu annulled the ruling at the request of the applicants, Otunba Camaru Ogidan and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha.
Recall that on November 9, 2023, the court convicted Yakubu and Oye of contempt of court after determining that they failed to comply with his earlier decision of May 10, 2023, directing them to recognize Chief Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA.
However, on July 11, 2024, the INEC chairman told the court through his lawyer, Ahmed Mohammed, that he had followed with the judgment by recognizing Njoku as the APGA’s National Chairman.
Oye, on the other hand, refused to comply with the order by filing an appeal and requesting a stay of the lower court’s judgment, delaying his scheduled sentencing, which was later set for January 22, 2025.
Remember that, prior to the rescheduled sentence date, the Supreme Court issued a decision on November 27, 2024, recognizing Sly Ezeokenwa as APGA’s National Chairman.
When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, the applicants’ counsel, Michael Ajara, called the court’s attention to the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue on November 27, 2024, and stated that his clients had decided to withdraw the complaint.
In a brief decision, the court approved the application, discharged the earlier committal order, and dismissed the matter.
Ajara explained his clients’ position, saying, “Our clients, being law-abiding, have since expressed their willingness to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue.”
“So they saw no reason to pursue this matter any further and directed us to withdraw it, which we did.
The judge saw justifications for our actions and agreed with us.”
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Chief Njoku, who was present in court with other top members of his new party, the National Rescue Movement (NRM), praised Justice Madugu for how he handled the matter.
He described the judge as a hardworking and brave man who showed guts when it counted the most.
Chief Njoku, who formally took office as the NRM’s National Chairman on Tuesday, stated, “The judge here demonstrated unusual courage given Nigeria’s current circumstances.
“We pray that God will be with him. If he hadn’t shown such fortitude, I could have ended up in jail.
“We thank God that our case came before a judge, who has conscience, integrity and can also show courage when necessary,” Njoku told reporters.
