The impasse rocking the National Rescue Mission (NRM), has taken a twist as it has faulted the judgement of Justice Obiora Egwuato, recognising Edozie Njoku, as the party’s chairman.
In January 13, a suit was filed in the name of NRM, seeking an ex parte application for leave to apply for a writ of mandamus against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Court asked them to put INEC on Notice and return on 28th January, 2025. In violation of the Court Order, the Njoku led faction proceeded to hold an emergency convention on January 17, 2025.
But INEC declined to honour the letter unilaterally authored and signed by Isaac Udeh, who was having issues with the party calling for the Emergency Convention.
In a statement on Friday, Acting National Publicity Secretary, Peter Letsuwa, explained that the Judge who had refused to hear the application of their lawyers until the party petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High via a letter dated 20th February, 2025, proceeded to deliver judgment in favour of the “impostors, who are bent on hijacking the party.”
Letsuwa noted that the power to call for convention is vested on the National Executive Committee, who before then met last on October 23, 2023, where Isaac Udeh was suspended until he was restored by Justice Omotosho on April 18, 2024.
According to him, Neither the National Management Committee nor the Party National Executive Committee authorized any emergency convention or participated in the purported convention.
He further argued that the Njoku-led faction could not exhibit names of NEC members who are in INEC records that participated in the gathering of family and friends called convention of the party or resolutions of the party NEC approving the convention.
He said: “NRM commends INEC for insisting that political parties obey its constitution in line with the orders of the supreme court of Nigeria.
“We maintain that regulatory agencies must be insulated from political jobbers and criminal elements, who take advantage of the systematic defects in the judiciary.
“In the light of very glaring defects, we will take all legal steps to ventilate our remonstrance and seek legal address as we are optimistic that the judgment cannot stand the test of time, as it lacked factual and legal basis.
