Having watched painstakingly this past week how the hapless followers of Tunde Doherty who were too lily livered to accompany him to Court in a case he instituted but have instead been trying daily to distort the facts of the case, we are compelled to make public the Court Order and set the records straight for all discerning minds to get the gist or the genesis of the issues at stake. I have been instructed by our APC UK Chairman J K Adebola to issue a synopsis of the issues in a chronological order as follows:

1. After the mediation initiative brokered by some stakeholders around July 2022 broke down due to the usual irascible attitude of Tunde Doherty, he immediately wrote to the Party HQ and lied that APC UK had reconciled and listed the names of his phoney Interim Committee to be recognised by the HQ.

 

2. The Party’s HQ contacted our newly elected APC UK Chairman J K Adebola to ascertain the true position of events because he (J K Adebola) had initially written to update the HQ about the failure of yet another mediation effort.

 

3. J K Adebola directed the HQ to speak with the independent observer who was present at the mediation meeting to get the facts of the matter.

 

4. After obtaining the true position of things, the Party’s HQ then decided in a letter dated 20/12/2022 to constitute an APC UK Interim National Working Committee comprising of 22 persons and, perhaps due to the fact findings, the HQ decided to make J K Adebola the Chairman of the APC UK Interim NWC and Tunde Doherty a member of the same NWC.

 

5. Tunde Doherty and members of his group instantly removed themselves from the APC UK Interim NWC without any explanation with the exception of one member who was left behind for reasons best known to themselves only.

 

6. Our Chairman J K Adebola in his capacity as the Chairman set up an engagement committee and included in the committee the only member from Tunde Doherty that was left in the NWC to liaise with Tunde Doherty as well as other state Caucuses with a view to bringing them back into the NWC. The rest as they say is history.

 

7. Our Chairman then decided after conferring with the HQ to continue with the mandate given by the HQ in the letter adduced above and organised the inaugural APC UK Congress to which the HQ sent the Deputy National Women Leader as an observer in line with the Party’s Constitution.

 

8. It is on record that Tunde Doherty and his group took the party to court in the UK in a failed attempt to stop the Congress from happening. The Congress took place regardless and was supervised by an NWC member. Needless to say that substantive executives elected at the Congress are getting on with the responsibilities of their respective positions.

 

9. Having conducted a successful APC UK Congress on 1st April 2023 which was duly observed by a representative of the Party’s NWC, anyone thinking of or touting the idea of another APC UK Congress is simply living in fools’ paradise.

 

*Events at the Hearing*

 

10. We defended in Court and stood by the mandate of conducting the Congress with the support of the party’s leadership. It is also on record that our newly elected Chairman J K Adebola led and continues to lead APC UK from the front like a true General.

 

11. Conversely, upon realising early during the hearing the folly of the injunction filed, upon which some of Doherty’s followers taunted us on social media of running the risk of being led to prison from the Court, Tunde Doherty quickly withdrew the injunction claim and as soon as he realised also that there are cost implications accruing therefrom, he immediately asked his Counsel to inform the Judge he would like to excuse himself from the case. This shows lack of confidence which is one of the prerequisites of a true leader.

 

12. It is instructive to note that whilst our Chairman J K Adebola stood with his group like a true General and rallied them to battle with 9 members of our Executives in attendance at the Court hearing, the so-called “Action Man” Tunde Doherty came to Court with an entourage of just 2 people and upon realising the folly of his Court action, he quickly bailed out from the case. What kind of leader does that to his troupe?

 

13. In spite of their attempts at spinning the outcome of the case with their usual senseless rhetoric, the fact remains that Tunde Doherty and his group lost the case in Court with a heavy fine of £4,500.00 as clearly stated in paragraph 6 of the Court Order.

 

14. Make no mistake about it we are ready and waiting for their Part 7 procedure. It will be interesting to know on which ground they will be bringing the claim. Whatever happens, be rest assured that we will not only defend our corner but counterclaim as well. Since Doherty and his group started this war, they must be ready for a fight to finish.

 

*How it all began*

 

We have tolerated their shenanigans since June 2013 when Idaewor pulled out with 2 of his faction of the then ACN from the original APC UK that was formed by 24 stakeholders in line with what obtains in Nigeria. They pulled out because Idaewor lost out in the Chairmanship position that went to Alh. Sani Garba who was elected as our maiden APC UK Chairman.

Upon pulling out, they decided to set up a splinter APC UK by leveraging on Idaewor’s personal relationship with the ex-National Chairman Chief Oyegun who infamously tried unsuccessfully to impose him on us which we of course vehemently resisted.

Tunde Doherty who was not part of the 24 stakeholders and only joined Idaewor’s group midstream succeeded in shoving Idaewor aside (Karma is real) and he and his followers have since been undermining, slandering and heaping abuses on us for no just cause. We have kept our cool all these years but not anymore. All gloves are off.

*Mediation Initiatives*

 

One of the first mediation efforts was initiated by one of our members Mallam Ibrahim and a meeting was slated for a Nigerian restaurant at No. 1 Deptford High Street on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 2015. He meeting could not hold because Idaewor failed to turn up.

The meeting was later rescheduled for Tuesday 4th August 2015 at the Pullman Hotel near Kings Cross where our Chairman J K Adebola confronted Idaewor and asked him the reason he pulled out from the original APC UK. Idaewor’s exact response was “I had instruction from Abuja to pull out and transmute to APC UK.”

Our Chairman J K Adebola followed up with another question by asking Idaewor how logical does that “instruction” sounded to Idaewor knowing fully well that his group consists of only 3 out of the 24 stakeholders that set up APC UK? Idaewor is yet to answer that question till today.

 

At the meeting, we succeeded in coming up with a 3 points agenda thus: (i) to transmit a letter to Abuja requesting that the 2 applications submitted by Idaewor and us requesting for accreditation as a Chapter be merged into one; (ii) that the 2 groups should begin to work together as one APC UK; and (iii) the 2 groups should sit together to map out modalities for achieving point (ii).

 

It is instructive to note that Tunde Doherty was the person that scuttled the agreements reached at the meeting within minutes of ending the meeting. Firstly, he objected to a group photograph being taken as suggested by late Dr. Dapo Williams which was meant to be followed up with a press release. Secondly he denied there was never any 3 points agenda agreed upon. We have on file email correspondences between our Chairman and Tunde Doherty on this matter.

 

Everyone at that meeting (except the late Dr. Dapo Williams of blessed memory who chaired the meeting) are still alive today and can attest to the facts adduced above.

 

Chief Akande one of the respected leaders of APC also initiated 2 mediation efforts; one was chaired by Hon. Ojutalayo and the other by Judge Dele Alade from APC USA.

Again, both mediation efforts were either foiled by members of Tunde Doherty’s members of Doherty himself.

For the avoidance of doubt, we remain the original and authentic APC UK from which the Idaewor’s group of 3 broke away in 2013 after losing out in the Chairmanship race which Doherty later joined midstream as stated in paragraph 17 above. It is no wonder they have been struggling for relevance ever since while we keep waxing stronger and soaring higher having stayed on the path of truth, equity and justice. You cannot validate illegality with another illegality.

*Lessons learned from this unfortunate debacle:*

 

1. Leaders throughout history are known to lead from the front, unless of course your name is Tunde Doherty whose understanding of leadership is diving for cover (like he did in Court last Wednesday 19th April 2023) when the going got tough, leaving his hapless followers at the mercy of the fire he ignited. True leaders don’t betray the trust of their followers, they are meant to stand by them in times of trouble, especially one created by the leader himself.

 

Unlike Tunde Doherty who came to Court with only 2 people and chickened out at the crucial moment in the case, our APC UK Chairman J K Adebola led 9 members of our Executives to the Court hearing and did not waiver either before, during or after the hearing. This is the mark of a true leader worthy of following. With J K Adebola as our Chairman, we are sure never to be left in the lurch.

 

2. The APC UK Congress of 1st April 2023 which was conducted in compliance with the mandate given to us by the HQ in its letter dated 20/12/2022 which was addressed to J K Adebola as the Chairman APC UK Interim National Working Committee and Tunde Doherty as a member of the Interim NWC comprising of 22 members remains the authentic Congress and the substantive Executives elected at the Congress remains APC UK’s substantive Executive. Anyone calling themselves APC UK are only deluding themselves and misleading their followers. Such action is a breach of Article 9.4(v) of the Parties Constitution. We are compiling all breaches committed by those concerned and are being forwarded to the Party Secretariat for appropriate action.

 

3. The fact that Doherty and his group exited by their own volition from the APC UK Interim National Working Committee constituted by the Party HQ in December 2022 prior to our Congress and the fact that they continue to refuse to recognise the Congress so held in compliance with the mandate given to us by the Party HQ is a stark demonstration of their lack of respect for Party supremacy and gross anti-party act which will be dealt with at the appropriate time. Their actions continue to bring the Party to disrepute, and it cannot be allowed to continue unabated.

4. Having held a successful Congress observed by an NWC member who represented the Party, the National Chairman and the Party’s NWC, every sane Party person recognises that the Congress has settled the imbroglio in APC UK. The Chairman duly elected at the Congress and recognised by the Party’s HQ is J K Adebola. Those still opposing the Congress are simply living in a fantasy world and we have no interest in joining issues with them. It is a waste of time and needless dissipation of energy on inanities.

5. When Doherty found out from the onset of the case that his claim lacks substance, he opted to withdraw the baseless Injunction and, just when the Judge signalled her intention to turn her focus on the issue of costs accruing due to the baseless injunction, Tunde Doherty suddenly requested to remove himself from the case (so much for a man acclaimed by his followers as an “action man”) and wanted to leave his group saddled with the costs alone, but the Judge insisted he has to be liable in conjunction with his group. Hence paragraph 6 of the order stating emphatically that the Claimants (i. e. Doherty and his group) are liable for the costs.

6. Usually, costs associated to a case are reserved by Judges until a decision is made on the case, but where the claim is adjudged unfounded, that is when costs are awarded like it is done in this case by the learned Judge. Doherty and his group may try to spin the decision of the Courts until they are blue in the face, the fact remains that Doherty and his group came out of that hearing last Wednesday 19th April 2023 with a cost of £4,500.00 awarded against them. They must now begin to look for ways to pay the costs before the deadline given in the Order, failing which we shall take all necessary legal actions to ensure he and his group pays as Ordered by the Court.

7. I sincerely hope Tunde Doherty will hearken to the advice given by the Judge in Court last Wednesday saying he should consider the cost implication of further claims vis-à-vis whatever benefits he is hoping for by doing so. Something tells me that Doherty will, as usual, not allow common sense to prevail. Whatever he does, I wish him good luck.

8. The seed of discord that Tunde Doherty has been sowing across Diaspora Chapters by encouraging certain individuals to form splinter APCs even where there is already an accredited Chapter duly recognised by the HQ is evident for all to see. Some of those he has encouraged along those lines have been coming forth with the tales he sold to them. These too are being compiled to be forwarded to the HQ in due course for appropriate action.

9. Doherty and his followers have dared the hornet’s nest and will be consumed by their actions. Nemesis will soon catch up with them. It’s a matter of time. The hour of reckoning is nigh.

 

Lastly, whilst awaiting payment of the £4,500.00 costs as awarded by the Judge and upon the realisation that this APC Diaspora Official Forum has lately been infiltrated by some set of people who are daily using it to attack and denigrate anyone opposed to their warped mind-set thereby ensuring the forum is no longer fit for purpose, we are therefore advising our members and other Progressives who still believe in Party supremacy to exit this platform forthwith.

 

Jacob Ogunseye

Publicity Secretary

APC UK