By Emmanuel Aziken

ABUJA—Chief Chekwas Okorie, one of  two factional Chairmen of  All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), yesterday claimed victory over his opponent, saying  the last National Convention he conducted was now legally acceptable, going by a letter he wrote to the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

Chekwas faction of APGA and that of Chief Victor Umeh have been on each other’s  jugular since 2005.

But, yesterday, in a letter Okorie informed the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu, that the recent Order of Justice Gabriel Kolawole which had earlier restrained INEC from honouring the outcome of its last July Convention, has ceased to have any effect.

“This welcome development”, according to the founder of APGA, “is as a result of the fact that Justice Kolawole in his ruling, returned the case-file to the Presiding Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja division for reassignment to another judge”, he said.

His interpretation: “By the operation of law, all interim Orders made by the erstwhile presiding Judge has since ceased to be effective since the case will resume afresh”.

He enthused that, “the clear implication of the new status of this suit is that the report of our National Convention submitted to your commission is now free from the encumbrance of any judgement”, he informed Iwu.

“We therefore, urge the Commission to put to effect all the resolutions of the convention as contained in our report. This demand is anchored on the fact that our convention was convened in total compliance with provisions of Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act”, he argued.