Udeze Knocks INEC Over AA Chairmanship

The national chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Kenneth Udeze, has condemned attempts by some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allegedly tamper with the list of the party’s National Working Committee (NEW) on the commission’s website.

Udeze, in a letter to the INEC chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, by his counsel, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), alleged that some unscrupulous staff of the electoral body allegedly replaced his name with that of Adekunle Omo-Aje, as the national chairman of the opposition party.

He said will explore all legal measures to bring all those involved to book, noting that illegality will not be allowed to stand.

The AA chairman, while urging party faithful to remain calm, reiterated that all the candidates sponsored by the Party under his leadership remain on the ballot and ready to take over the governorship seats in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States.

According to Udeze, a judgment of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had affirmed him as the authentic national chairman of the AA.

He explained that there are currently two appeals pending before the Court of Appeal, which the INEC is a party to.

The party leader dismissed the purported Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) report on which INEC staff allegedly relied on to alter the list of the AA executive as fake.

The letter reads in part: “We write to complain to you, sir against some clandestine and fraudulent moves by certain members of the Legal Department and the EPM Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give a skewed legal opinion or internal memo to the INEC Chairman and deceive him into announcing and recognizing Mr. Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje as the National Chairman of Action Alliance and throw the Country and the party into political turmoil and crisis just for their personal and selfish gains.

“Sir, we do hereby inform you that there are two pending appeals at the Court of Appeal, Abuja on who is the rightful National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA) in ADEKUNLE RUFAI OMO-AJE & 2 ORS. vs. CHIEF UZEWURU NWACHUKWU & 3 ORS., APPEAL NO.: CA/CV/ABJ/955/2022, and also in CHIEF UZEWURU NWACHUKWU vs. KENNETH UDEZE & 2 ORS., APPEAL NO.: CA/ABJ/CV/526/2022 in each of these two appeals, INEC is a party and same have not been decided yet.

“The said Mr. Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje has gone to the Court of Appeal, Abuja by way of appeal seeking to be declared the National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA) instead of Chief (Barr.) Kenneth Udeze and thus, must allow the Court of Appeal, Abuja to decide the case once and for all, rather than resorting to this unholy attempt to compromise some key staff of INEC and trying to bring INEC into the murky waters of partisan politics and rubbish the integrity of the INEC in furthering his unquenchable, inordinate ambition to become party’s national chairman.”

He added: “We further wish to inform you sir, that prior to the above referred judgment of the F.C.T High Court, there were several other potent judgments of the Court which have recognized and continued to uphold our client, Chief (Barr.) Kenneth Udeze as the legitimate, authentic, rightful and duly elected National Chairman of ACTION ALLIANCE.

“We have it on good authority that some politicians are using him and sponsoring him to disorganize our client’s party and we advise the INEC and its staff to desist from being used to achieve this illegal aim and avoiding throwing the Country and the Party into political turmoil and crisis.

“We unequivocally state here that our client shall use every legal means possible to defend his mandate and his party and will not want to wage a war with INEC as INEC occupies the position of an umpire and neutrality in the election and electoral system.

“In view of the above, our client makes this complaint against these key staff of INEC and urges you sir, to use your good offices to guard against this illegality and to call them to order or to resist same if brought to your table for approval, sir.”