Court reinstates Omoaje as Action Alliance national chairman

By Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday reinstated Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA) and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give him the proper recognition as the party’s national chairman.

The court also ordered INEC to reinstate all the state chairmen of the party loyal to Omoaje, who were unjustly removed by the electoral body, declaring that their removal was unlawful.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Action Alliance led by Omoaje against INEC, the trial judge, Justice Funmilola Dem-Ajayi, ruled that INEC’s actions in removing Omoaje and the state chairmen of AA were unlawful and unexpected of an electoral body.

Justice Ajayi therefore directed INEC to include the names of Omoaje and all the state chairmen who were illegally removed from its website without further delay.

The court also reaffirmed the expulsion of Mr. Kenneth Udeze from the Action Alliance, as the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court had already upheld his suspension from the party.

Justice Ajayi stated that, based on the Supreme Court judgment, Udeze is not a member of AA and is therefore not entitled to any position in the party. His inclusion on the website of INEC was described as an aberration.

The court held that INEC had no justifiable reason to remove the names of party officials duly elected at the elective convention of the party held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and supervised by recognized officials of INEC.

Justice Ajayi ruled that the defendant failed to substantiate its actions with sufficient proof, necessitating the reversal of its actions.

The court maintained that Udeze, having been expelled from the party, cannot hold any position in AA, and therefore, Omoaje should be recognized as the national chairman of the party.

She noted that both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court had affirmed Udeze’s expulsion from AA, adding that INEC had failed to comply with the authentic leadership of the party.

According to the court, INEC unlawfully changed the list of executives of the party at the state level, replacing them with members of Udeze’s faction, which was deemed contrary to Section 182 of the Electoral Act.

The court also stated that the removal of the names of the AA leaders without notice violated their rights to a fair hearing.

After granting all the declarations sought by the plaintiff, the court awarded a cost of ₦100,000 against the defendant.

Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the AA, Mr. O.K. Etiibo and K.A. Salawu, hailed the ruling.

Speaking with our correspondent, Mr. Salawu said the judgment further shows that the judiciary is the last hope of the masses and urged INEC to respect the court’s decision.

Omoaje, in his reaction, said the judgment was a victory for all lovers of truth and democracy, adding that the ruling has further deepened his confidence in the judiciary.

He urged INEC to obey the court’s judgment and replace Udeze’s name with his own name on the commission’s website and portal without further delay.