The Supreme Court has upheld Chief Kenneth Udeze as the legitimate National Chairman of the Action Alliance, effectively ending the prolonged leadership dispute within the party.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice Lawal Garba, the court dismissed a suit challenging the legitimacy of the Chief Udeze-led National Working Committee of AA.
Justice Garba, who presided over the appeal, ruled that the case was dismissed for lack of diligent prosecution. The court stated, “The motion of October 10, 2024, for the dismissal and striking out of the appeal on grounds of want of prosecution was served on the 23rd of October, 2024, on the appellant, and there is no record that he had taken any step to prosecute the appeal since then. The said appeal is dismissed for want of prosecution.”
Fredrick Ighiwiyisi had filed the appeal challenging the judgment of the Appeal Court, which had affirmed Chief Udeze’s leadership. He had named Osaro Uwaifo Z, Action Alliance, and the Independent National Electoral Commission as respondents in the matter. However, the appellant eventually abandoned the appeal.
Following the dismissal of the appeal, Chief Udeze expressed his satisfaction with the court’s decision, stating that it had resolved the leadership crisis in the party. He emphasized that the party’s focus is now on the 2027 elections, with no further obstacles to prevent it from competing successfully.
The legal dispute began when Hon. Frederick Ighiwiyisi challenged the primary election held by the Action Alliance ahead of the Edo State governorship election. Chief Osaro Uwaifo was nominated as the party’s candidate for the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election following the primary held on February 24, 2024. Ighiwiyisi contested the legitimacy of the primary, arguing that the national executive of the party, led by Chief Kenneth Udeze, which conducted the election, was not the authentic leadership of the party.
The case was contested vigorously in court, and the court ultimately ruled in favor of Udeze’s leadership. It affirmed that, based on existing judgments, the national executive led by Udeze remains the legitimate leadership of the party, making any primary conducted by him valid and lawful.
Hon. Ighiwiyisi appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeal, which also dismissed the appeal, affirming the Federal High Court’s decision that Chief Udeze was the authentic national chairman. Undeterred, Ighiwiyisi continued to challenge the leadership in the Supreme Court. However, his appeal was dismissed after he failed to pursue it diligently, leading to the final resolution of the leadership dispute.
