Court Restores Soludo As Anambra APGA Guber Candidate

A Federal High Court sitting in Awka has reinstated a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo, as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in a list released on July 16 picked Michael Umeoji over Soludo as the standard-bearer for APGA.

According to the electoral umpire, the decision was based on court orders.

Festus Okoye, INEC’s commissioner for Information and Voter education, revealed that Musa Ubale, judge of a high court in Jigawa State, had passed judgment in suit JDU/022/21, upholding the suspension of Victor Oye (Chairman of a faction of APGA) and affirming Jude Okeke as the party’s national chairman on June 30, 2021.

Okoye said the commission would continue to act in compliance with the constitution, the laws establishing it, and court orders.

Delivering judgment on the case on Monday, Justice Chukwudi Okaa held the other parties in the suit, comprising Jude Okeke, Edozie Njoku, and Chukwuma Umeoji, were “meddlesome interlopers”.

Okaa, therefore, affirmed Victor Oye as the national chairman of the party, and ordered INEC to recognise Soludo as the APGA governorship candidate for Anambra.