Oshiomhole withdraws application for stay of execution

The former suspended Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC Mr Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday, withdrew his application for stay of execution of the June 16, 2020 judgment of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal which affirmed his suspension as the National Chairman of the APC.

This was in keeping with his decision to accept in good faith, the dissolution of the National Working Committee and the subsequent appointment of a caretaker committee by the National Executive Committee of the party on June 25.

Consequently,  the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Eunice Onyemenam unanimously dismissed in a short ruling on Tuesday.

African Parliamentary News recalls that Oshiomhole’s Ward 10 in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State had in November 2019 suspended him as a member of the party for anti-party activities, a decision which the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja relied on to order his suspension as the National Chairman of the party on March 4, 2020.

Oshiomhole had proceeded to the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of the FCT High Court.

But the Court of Appeal affirmed the FCT High Court’s ruling in a unanimous judgment of its three-man panel led by Justice Eunice Onyemanam, on June 16, 2020.

Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s judgment, Oshiomhole then sought a review of the decision by the Supreme Court and filed a motion for stay of execution of the judgment before the Court of Appeal.

However, while his application was pending at the Court of Appeal, the NEC of the party on June 25 dissolved the Oshiomhole-led NWC of the party and constituted a Caretaker Committee to organize an extra-ordinary National Convention of the Party to elect replacement.

Having accepted the dissolution of the NWC by NEC, Oshiomhole, through his lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday and sought the withdrawal of the pending processes seeking an order for stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

Justice Mohammed Lamido, who delivered the unanimous ruling of the Court of Appeal, went on to dismiss the application.