Chief Iwuala, who stated this while reacting to a statement credited to *Senator Araraume that John Iwuala* is unknown to him, APGA and the law, recently, said that Araraume, who was the 2019 governorship candidate of party was the cause of the setback the party suffered in the 2019 general election, as it was because of his political style that over 100 aspirants left the party.
His words, “Araraume’s entrance into APGA is a disaster, because he made us to lose over hundred aspirants in all the elective positions, but I thank God that today, with his expulsion, many of them have indicated interest to rejoin the APGA family. So far, about 10 governorship aspirants and more than 40 aspirants at various levels have indicated interest to return to APGA”.
Continuing, he said, It’s a curse to associate with Araraume politically. “His emergence as a member of any political party has always been a disaster to the party. He was formerly with APP, why did he leave the party? He joined PDP, how did he leave the PDP?
On the issue of expulsion from the party, the APGA Chairman maintained, “Araraume has been expelled from APGA. The state has expelled him and the South-East has honoured his expulsion as the best thing that can happen to APGA in Imo. We are now waiting for the National Working Committee (NWC). We expelled him on the 11th of January, 2020”.
“It is no longer news that Senator Araraume has packaged himself and few members of his support group to dump APGA and defect to his former party, APC. In a recent campaign of the APC candidate for the Okigwe North re-run, Senator Araraume openly held the hand of the APC candidate in her campaign rally and declared his total support for her, urging people of the constituency to vote against his APGA candidate (see attached picture of the event).
“These highlights vividly explain clear violation of the party constitution which amounts to misconduct of the nature that carries summary dismissal”.
Speaking on the leadership struggle in the party, Chief Iwuala said with the court order, he remains the authentic Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party in Imo State.
Narrating the story of how the problem started, he said, “the former Exco led by Barr. Peter Ezeobi was dissolved by the party and the National leadership set up a Caretaker Committee which I headed, to take over the activities of the party and conduct a congress. When we planned the congress, Senator Araraume and his Destiny group scuttled the arrangement and hijacked the process. They went to Ishiebu, Isiala Mbano LGA and drew a list of party executive contrary to the smooth and progress of the planned congress.
“On the day of the Congress, unknown to the party, they forced themselves in and announced the list. Even the INEC officials that were there rejected the outcome of the congress and left with annoyance. Party delegates for the congress left with annoyance. As a result of that, some party faithful and those who wanted to contest for one position or the other, decided to approach the Court, and questioned the credibility of the purported congress, and as well, asked the Court to squash the congress and order for a fresh congress.
In the process, the Owerri High Court presided over by His Lordship Hon. Justice N.B. Ukoha, on the 1st day of July, 2019, gave an Interlocutory Injunction of statuesque Ante Bellum, and directed that the party should maintain its statuesque and reverse back to how the party was in its leadership and administration in Imo State before the state congresses which is now being challenged pending the final determination of the substantive matter.
The order of court read, “After hearing the submission of the plaintiff’s Counsel asking that the statuesque Ante Bellum be maintained and the Court after consideration of the application hereby Ordered as follows:
“IT IS ORDERED that the parties are hereby ORDERED to maintain their STATUS QUO Ante Bellum and not to do anything further tendering to damage the position and the running of the parties as it were before the said congress which is now being challenged until the Motion on Notice is heard and determined”.
To abide by the order of the Court, the National Vice Chairman of the party, South East, Chief Uchenna Nwegbo, issued a press release calling “on all APGA faithful in Imo State to remain calm and unperturbed in view of the recent pronouncement of the Owerri High Court”.
The second Order of Court also given by the Owerri High Court presided own by His Lordship Hon. Justice N.B. Ukoha, stopped the 6th defendant, Prince Henry Okafor, (Purported Chairman, Imo State APGA) and the 7th defendant, Pastor Alphonsus Eberendu (Purported Secretary, APGA, Imo State), from parading themselves as Exco members.
The second Order of Court read, “That the 6th and 7th defendants or any other person purportedly produced by the said congress purportedly held at the ward, local government and state level on the 19th, 21st and 23rd may, 2019 or any other date are hereby restrained from parading, presenting themselves or holding themselves out as elected Executives of the 1st Defendant party at the WARD, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR STATE LEVEL, in Imo State pending the determination of the substantive suit”.
The letter dated 20th January, 2020 and signed by the National Secretary of the party, H.E. Labaran Maku and copied to the Commissioner of Police, Imo State, Administrative Secretary, INEC, Imo State, Chairman IPAC, Imo State and Director EPM INEC, Imo State, directed the commission to accord Chief Iwuala “all the necessary support and privilege due to him as the Imo State APGA Chairman”.
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