•National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA), Kenneth Udeze Esq
Chief Kenneth Udeze, a lawyer, is the National Chairman, Action Alliance (AA). For a long time, he and his executive have been enmeshed in a long drawn battle for the leadership of the party. In this interview, he speaks on the failure of the Joash Amupitan-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give them access to agency’s portal for them to be fully part of the current democratic process, despite several court judgments in their favour, reports Sunday Independent.
Excerpts:
Few months to the 2027 general elections and as the campaigns have already started, what are you and your executive doing to ensure that INEC implements the court judgments in your favour as the authentic leaders of the Action Alliance (AA)?
First, we appreciate that the judiciary has done its job. The court has affirmed Chief Kenneth Udeze Esq as the National Chairman of Action Alliance. That judgment is binding.
What we are doing now is three-fold. The first is legal engagement. Our legal team has formally written to INEC and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), reminding them of their constitutional duty under Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 to deal only with the Udeze-led leadership for all candidate submissions.
The second thing we are doing is public sensitisation. We are mobilising our members and Nigerians to understand that any candidates’ list not signed by the court-affirmed Udeze leadership is legally defective. The integrity of 2027 depends on INEC obeying the law.
Our third action is hinged on the Rule of Law. We have absolute confidence in our courts. If INEC fails to implement the judgment, we will have no option, but to approach the court again for enforcement and for necessary orders to compel compliance.
Our position is simple. INEC must deal with the Udeze-led AA. Nigeria cannot afford an election where court judgments are ignored. That will amount to a crisis. We are not asking for favours, we are asking INEC to obey the law.
INEC has listed Adekunle Rufai Omoaje on its portal as the AA’s presidential candidate. What is your reaction to this?
That listing by INEC is legally defective and cannot stand. The reason is simple. The Court has affirmed Chief Kenneth Udeze Esq as the National Chairman of Action Alliance. By Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, only the National Chairman of a party can submit candidates to INEC. Any name submitted by any other person, including Mr. Omoaje, is an act of impersonation and has no validity in law.
We have already engaged our lawyers and written to INEC to draw their attention to this illegality. INEC is a law-abiding institution and we believe they will correct this error immediately to avoid a constitutional crisis.
Let me be clear: INEC must deal with Udeze led AA. If they go ahead with an illegal list, they are inviting pre-election and post-election litigation that can lead to the nullification of the entire process. We don’t want that for Nigeria.
What are you doing to ensure that your candidates take part in the 2027 general elections?
We are doing everything the law allows to ensure our candidates take part in 2027. First, we are standing on a settled judgment. The Court has affirmed Chief Kenneth Udeze Esq as the National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA).
Secondly, Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 and our party’s constitution are clear. Only the National Chairman can submit the list of candidates to INEC.
So what we are doing is as follows. First is the legal process. Our legal team has written to INEC and is already in court to compel INEC to recognise and publish only candidates submitted and signed by the Udeze-led AA. Any other list is legally defective.
The second is political mobilisation. We are mobilising our members nationwide. AA is on ground in all 36 states and FCT. Our candidates are ready, our structures are intact.
The third is engagement. We are engaging INEC, the AGF, and other stakeholders to remind them that excluding a court-affirmed party leadership is a direct violation of the Constitution. It will lead to litigation and can jeopardise the entire election.
Let me be clear. We are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding that INEC obeys the law. INEC must deal with Udeze led AA. Nigerians deserve to have a choice in 2027. Blocking Action Alliance candidates will amount to disenfranchisement, and we will not allow it.
You stated that you would go to court for the enforcement of the courts’ judgments. Have you done so?
Yes. Our legal team has already initiated the processes. The reason there has been a slight delay is because we are in the Court vacation period. Courts are not sitting for substantive matters right now.
But, let me be very clear: The moment the vacation is over, we shall hit the ground running with contempt proceedings and enforcement applications. We will ask the court to compel INEC to recognise the judgment that affirmed Chief Kenneth Udeze Esq as National Chairman of Action Alliance, and to remove any illegally submitted candidates’ list.
We are not deterred by the vacation. We are law-abiding. The law will take its course, and INEC will be made to do what is right: deal with the Udeze-led AA as required by Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
Because even if we file now during vacation, it will not be heard until courts resume. Rather than waste time, our lawyers have prepared everything so that on day one of resumption, it is filed and served.
To what extent do you believe in the ability of Joash Amupitan-led INEC to give Nigerians free, fair and credible elections in 2027?
My belief in INEC is tied to one thing: Obedience to the law and court judgments. INEC as an institution is constitutionally empowered to conduct elections. What Nigerians need now is for INEC, under Prof. Joash Amupitan, to show independence, neutrality, and commitment to the rule of law.
If INEC deals with all legally recognised political parties equally, including the Udezeled Action Alliance, and implements court judgments without bias, then Nigerians can have confidence.
But, if INEC chooses to disobey court orders or recognise illegal leaderships, then credibility will be in doubt. The ball is in INEC’s court. Nigerians are watching.”
How do you see the recent Osun governorship election?
The Osun governorship election was a test. In some areas there were improvements in logistics and voter turnout. However, the real test of any election is not just voting, but whether the process respects the law from nomination to declaration.
For AA, our concern is that if INEC cannot even get party leadership and candidate submission right according to Section 84, then the foundation of credibility is shaky. We hope lessons from Osun will make 2027 better, more transparent, and fully compliant with the Electoral Act.
Would you say the nation’s security agencies have the capacity to successfully handle the 2027 general elections held in every part of the country?
Our security agencies have the men, the training, and the resources. What they need is political will, adequate funding, and neutrality.
Elections are not won with guns. They won at the polling unit. If the police, army, DSS and other agencies are deployed professionally and not used to intimidate voters or protect rigging, then they have the capacity.
My advice to them: Be professional. Be non-partisan. Protect voters, not politicians. 2027 must not be marred by violence. The lives of Nigerians are more important than any election.
What is your advice to Nigerians as they get ready for the coming general elections?
My advice to Nigerians is simple: Get your PVC. Protect your vote. And vote for competence, not sentiment. Do not sell your future for money or threats. 2027 is about the direction of Nigeria for the next four years.
Also, the people should hold INEC accountable. They should also hold political parties accountable. The people must demand that the law be obeyed.
For Action Alliance, we are saying: we are on the ballot. Our candidates are ready. When the time comes, come out and vote AA. Let your vote count.
