Sowore Steps Down As AAC National Party Chairman
Sowore, a human rights campaigner, resigned as Chairman of the African Action Congress on Thursday (AAC).
Omoyele Sowore announced this at the party’s national convention in Abuja, saying that the process of stabilizing the party will begin before the convention to nominate a new chairman.
Other parties have elected their own “thieves,” according to Sowore, but AAC must nominate its own “police.”
Last Thursday, an Appeal Court in Abuja confirmed Sowore as the AAC’s substantive Chairman.
Sowore had challenged a High Court verdict made by Justice Inyang Ekwo naming a Nigerian government usurper, Leonard Nzenwa, as the party’s Acting Chairman in an appeal dated CA/A/812/2019.
Sowore had also asked the court, through his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who is also the party’s National Legal Adviser, to throw aside the lower court’s verdict and award all of the appellant’s reliefs.
Last Thursday, Justice A.J Adah, speaking on behalf of the three-member panel, ruled that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in the party’s internal affairs.
The court also dismissed Nzenwa’s lawsuit, which was the basis for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognizing him as the party’s Acting Chairman.
As a result, the court overturned the lower court’s decision recognizing Nzenwa as interim Chairman.
In addition, the court ordered N200,000 in damages to Sowore against Nzenwa.
On June 19, 2019, Nzenwa covertly got a ruling from the FCT High Court declaring Sowore and Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Malcom Fabiyi, to be suspended as the party’s National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, respectively.
Despite the fact that neither Sowore, AAC, or INEC were named as defendants in the case, the High Court issued a judgment against Sowore, which Leonard and his supporters used to dismiss the petition filed by the party’s candidate in the 2019 Rivers State governorship election challenging Governor Nyesom Wike’s reelection.
