Accord leadership: Imumolen insists on certified court documents

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The factional National Chairman of the Accord Party, Prof. Chris Imumolen, has urged stakeholders in the party’s leadership crisis to rely on certified court records, rather than competing claims and political statements, to determine the rightful occupant of the national chairmanship.

Imumolen made the call in Abuja on Friday in a statement signed by him, as he responded to the continuing leadership dispute between his faction and that of Maxwell Mgbudem.

He argued that the issue should be determined by what the courts have ordered at various stages of the dispute, rather than by declarations from either faction.

Imumolen traced his claim to the national chairmanship to legal proceedings arising from the party’s July 2024 national convention.

He said that on August 29 and 30, 2024, Justice M.M. Adamu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, granted an interim order in Suit No. FCT/HC/M/11850/2024 directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise him as National Chairman of Accord pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

According to him, the court also restrained the defendants from parading themselves as the National Executive Committee of the party and from conducting state and local government congresses pending determination of the substantive matter.

He, however, acknowledged that the opposing faction subsequently challenged the position through further court proceedings and orders, leaving the leadership dispute unresolved.

Imumolen said the different stages of the litigation should be considered together, with a clear distinction between orders already made, decisions subsequently challenged and matters still pending before the courts.

“Until the competent courts finally determine the competing claims, the proper approach is to distinguish between what has been judicially ordered, what has subsequently been challenged, and what remains pending before the courts,” he said.

He maintained that the existence of competing proceedings did not erase the judicial history behind his claim to the chairmanship.

“Prof. Imumolen can therefore legitimately maintain that his claim to the National Chairmanship has a clear judicial history and cannot be dismissed as a mere self-appointed position,” he added.

He urged members of the party and other stakeholders to examine official court records rather than relying on statements issued by the rival factions.

“The decisive evidence should ultimately be the certified court orders, judgments and enrolled orders from the FCT High Court, Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, rather than statements issued by either faction of Accord,” he said.

Imumolen also cautioned against interpreting the 2024 interim order as a final determination of the substantive leadership dispute, noting that it was made pending further proceedings.

He said the order, nevertheless, remained part of the judicial history of the dispute and should not be ignored in assessing the basis of his claim.

The leadership crisis has also generated claims that Imumolen was expelled from the party. He dismissed the allegation as insufficient, on its own, to determine who is legally entitled to occupy the chairmanship.

“The allegation of expulsion does not on its own determine who is legally entitled to occupy the position,” he said.

According to him, the legal effect of any purported expulsion would have to be determined in accordance with the Accord Party constitution, applicable electoral laws and relevant judicial decisions.

Beyond the legal proceedings, Imumolen said his faction enjoys substantial support among members of the National Working Committee, but acknowledged that political support could not substitute the authority of the courts.

He also referred to recent appellate proceedings, including the reported dismissal or striking out of an appeal filed by the opposing group in July 2026.

He, however, cautioned against relying on partisan interpretations of the development, saying the precise legal effect of any appellate decision could only be established from the certified judgment and enrolled orders of the court.

Imumolen reiterated that he would abide by the eventual outcome of the judicial proceedings, expressing confidence that the certified records of the FCT High Court, Federal High Court and Court of Appeal would vindicate his position.

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