A Federal Capital Territory high court presided over by Justice Yusuf Halilu on Thursday dismmised a suit instituted by Chief Raymond Dokpesi, owner of AIT, against Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) for lack of merit and forgery of a purported appointment letter.
Dokpesi had approach the court with claims that he was the one that appointed the partys national chairman, Mallam Shitu Mohammed and Dr Emeka Okengwu during the formation of the party and requested the court to affirm him as BOT chairman and also desolve the Shitu-led National Working Committee and NEC of the party. He equally prayed for all property and correspondences to be submitted to him.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Halilu averred that the defendant was elected in January with a resolution submitted to INEC and the commission has recognised his as such and several correspondence were made with him. The judge affirmed that INEC equally cautioned Dokpesi in a letter addressed to him that the party cannot have a Board of Trustees until after five (5) years as stipulated by APDA constitution.
Based on these facts, the court ruled that Mallam Shitu Mohammed and Emeka Okengwu, National Chairman and Secretary respectively, remain the authentic and recognised leadership of APDA.
The judge added that Dokpesi had no locus standi to approach the court in the first instance because the party never had a Board of Trustees. He described the letter Dokpesi claimed to have issued to Shitu as an after thought, adding that it lacked credibility.
Reacting, National Chairman of APDA, Shitu, described it as landmark judgement that will strengthen the party and allow it to focus on providing a viable opposition and alternative party that Nigerians are yearning for.
“This a confirmation of what APDA stands for, that we are party of integrity that cannot be hijacked by godfathers,” Shitu said