Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

Professor Itse Sagay SAN, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), has described as unconstitutional the threat by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to sanction aggrieved party members who approached the courts to seek redress over the outcome of the controversial primaries.
In a message sent to Daily Independent on Tuesday titled: ‘Let The APC Chairman And The NWC Of The Party Be Warned’, Sagay said President Muhammadu Buhari was right when he said members of the party who feel aggrieved should seek redress in courts.
The statement reads: “Arising from the crisis ridden primaries of the APC all over the Country, many aggrieved aspirants for the Party’s nomination at all levels, (with the exception of the Presidency) have gone to Court to challenge the Party’s decisions which they firmly believe, robbed them of their victories and awarded the nomination to other persons, whose common identity, is that they are nearly all money bags with equally heavy moral baggage, who had held offices and positions in the PDP.

“Most of them are last minute defectors from the PDP, having failed to get their party’s nomination or were scared away from contesting for nomination in their party because of the strength of the opposing contestant.
“Most of these alleged primary ‘victors’ are past, long standing Governors and Senators, etc. of the PDP who parachuted into the APC at the last minute to pursue their selfish ambitions. For them the APC is merely a convenient platform for actualizing their post governor/senator ambitions. They have absolutely neither affinity nor empathy towards the APC.

“All this is quite in order in an underdeveloped democracy like Nigeria’s. However what is absolutely NOT acceptable is the threat to expel the aggrieved aspirants for taking their grievance to Court in search of a judicial resolution. The threat to expel them is absolutely illegal, both under the common law and under the Nigerian Constitution.
“Under the common law, any provision in any agreement which purports to deprive the parties of their right to resort to the Courts for the settlement of any dispute arising out of their transaction is VOID on the ground of Public Policy.
“This is a long established principle of law and I am surprised that the APC Legal Adviser did not inform the NWC that the attempt to bind the hands of aggrieved party members by ousting the jurisdiction of the Courts, is a nullity and an act in futility.
“Even more devastating to the position of the APC NWC is Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which gives EVERYONE a right of fair hearing before a Court or a Tribunal established by law for the determination of civil rights and obligations.
“So the President was very right when he urged every one of the aspirants who felt cheated or defrauded, to go to Court. The vain and impetuous declaration by the embattled APC NWC to still expel members exercising their Inalienable Common Law and Constitutional Rights, in spite of the President’s directive, is a clear exercise in childish futility; a precursor of major humiliation.
“So, the Chairman and Members of the NWC of the APC are warned to heed the advice of the President or risk exposing themselves to a major embarrassment.
“After all, if their preferred candidates actually won their primaries, why this terrible apprehension of judicial review of the primary results? Or are they harbouring a morbid fear of exposure?”
https://www.independent.ng/heed-buharis-warning-or-risk-exposing-yourselves-sagay-tells-apc-leadership/

Sagay wee you keep kwayet!

Osha-baba our amiable Chairman is doing a wonderful job in APC. We urge Mr. Chairman to act fast by expelling those so-called aggrieved members.

So that come 2019, only Mr. Chairman and Tinubu will be left in the party to vote for Jubril of Sudan...

Splinz:
Sagay wee you keep kwayet!

Osha-baba our amiable Chairman is doing a wonderful job in APC. We urge Mr. Chairman to act fast by expelling those so-called aggrieved members.

So that come 2019, only Mr. Chairman and Tinubu will be left in the party to vote for Jubril of Sudan...