The Action Alliance, AA, has formally challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to reevaluate its compliance with a judgment issued by the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State.
The court had mandated INEC to recognize all members of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, who were elected during the party’s national convention held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, in 2023.
Following a meeting of the party’s National Think Tank Committee and the NEC, the party leadership asserted that INEC’s compliance with the court’s judgment was partial.
The party noted that INEC failed to include the name of the National Chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, on its portal, contrary to the court ruling delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi.
In a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the meeting and signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olu Omotosho, the party expressed concern over INEC’s incomplete adherence to the court’s judgment, emphasizing that the issue referenced by INEC in relation to a pending Supreme Court matter was unrelated, as the court’s judgment was clear and unambiguous.
Omotosho maintained that Kenneth Udeze has not been a member of the party since 2019, as he was expelled from the party, with his expulsion ratified by the National Think Tank Committee, the party’s highest ruling body.
He added that the Supreme Court affirmed Udeze’s expulsion.
He stated, “Our party has been experiencing this stalemate since 2019, the year Kenneth Udeze was suspended by his own executive for serious infractions related to misappropriation of party funds, high-handedness, and anti-party activities.
“A disciplinary committee was formed to provide him with a fair hearing, but he refused to attend any of the four hearings over six months. Afterward, the committee submitted its findings to the National Think Tank Committee, which subsequently recommended Udeze’s expulsion to the convention. This recommendation was upheld during the convention held on February 14, 2020, where the election that brought in the current National Executive, led by Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, took place.
“Since his expulsion, Kenneth Udeze has attempted to reclaim his position through questionable means instead of challenging his expulsion legally. To date, he has lost over 30 legal cases attempting to assert himself as the National Chairman of Action Alliance. In several court rulings, he has even been referred to as a ‘meddlesome interloper.’
“If the Supreme Court has settled Udeze’s membership status by affirming his expulsion, and INEC is aware of this judgment, then what excuse could the commission possibly have for waiting on an unrelated appeal?
“It is a matter of common sense that a person who is not a citizen of Nigeria cannot run for President; similarly, a person who is not a member of a political party should not be recognized as the party’s National Chairman.”
