By Nkechi Eze
In a dramatic escalation of a long-running leadership tussle within the Action Alliance (AA) political party, the National Executive Committee (NEC) led by Chief Barrister Kenneth Udeze has filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, against the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, and several others over what it described as an illegal attempt to arrest, harass, and intimidate its legitimate leadership.
According to an official statement signed by the National Secretary of the party, Vernimbe A. James, the party’s legal action was triggered by what it called “a renewed but desperate move” by one Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, a former and expelled member of the party to disrupt its internal affairs by allegedly using the Nigeria Police Force as a tool for intimidation. The suit, numbered FCT/HC/CV/2741/25, was filed on July 17, 2025, and seeks both declaratory and injunctive reliefs against further interference in the party’s affairs.
The applicants in the matter include key national officers of the party: Chief Barr. Kenneth Udeze (National Chairman), Vernimbe A. James (National Secretary), Ekeng Effiom Effiom (National Treasurer), Alhaji Ali Abacha (National Financial Secretary), and Barr. Emeka Anukwuem (National Legal Adviser), with the Action Alliance itself also listed as an applicant.
The respondents, on the other hand, include the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), one ACP Yakubu Sule, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Vernimbe stated that the action became necessary following an early July attempt by the police, allegedly acting on the instigation of Omoaje, to arrest Chief Udeze and other national officers of the party. This, he said, was a direct attack on the autonomy and internal processes of the party, and a deliberate affront to the supremacy of the judiciary.
“We are alarmed that despite several conclusive court rulings, ranging from the FCT High Court to the Court of Appeal and most recently the Supreme Court, which have all affirmed Chief Kenneth Udeze as the authentic National Chairman of the Action Alliance, some persons are still hellbent on undermining the party’s leadership by resorting to self-help through the police,” the party’s statement read.
A copy of a letter dated July 18, 2025, written by the party’s legal counsel, Peters Ugwuoke, Esq., and addressed to the Nigeria Police Force, was also cited in the statement. The letter formally notified the police of the pending court action and advised them to respect the legal process by maintaining the status quo ante pending judicial determination of the matter.
“Let it be on record that the Action Alliance NEC under Chief Barr. Kenneth Udeze will not entertain or honour any further police invitations, interrogations, or attempts at harassment in connection with the party’s leadership, until the fundamental rights suit before the FCT High Court is fully adjudicated,” the statement stressed.
The party warned that any further police action in defiance of the court process would be interpreted as an affront to the judiciary and an act of unlawful self-help.
“This is not just an attack on individuals; it is an attack on democratic institutions and due process. If the police or any other party continues with this intimidation campaign while a competent court is already seized of the matter, they will be guilty of contempt and of undermining the integrity of the judicial system,” Udeze stated during an interaction with journalists in Abuja.
The party further noted that the present move by Omoaje follows a long history of failed attempts to seize control of the party leadership. It recalled that Omoaje had previously lost several leadership litigations at various levels of the judicial system, including a string of defeats at the FCT High Court, the Federal High Court, and the Court of Appeal in Abuja, culminating in a recent Supreme Court judgment which dismissed his claims and upheld the legitimacy of Chief Barr. Kenneth Udeze’s leadership.
“Omoaje has become a serial loser in court, and now he has resorted to tactics that threaten the rule of law,” said National Legal Adviser Barr. Emeka Anukwuem. “His continuous interference using security operatives, despite being expelled from the party, is not just unlawful, but dangerous for our democracy.”
The party’s national chairman, Chief Udeze, also spoke forcefully on the issue, saying the judiciary must now step in to prevent what he called “this descent into lawlessness and abuse of security institutions for personal vendetta.”
“We have tolerated this provocation for too long. What we’re seeing is a calculated plot to hijack the structure of a legally constituted political party through illegal means. The Nigeria Police must not allow itself to be used as a weapon against democracy. This is why we are in court, to defend the rule of law, to defend our party, and to stop this madness once and for all,” Udeze declared.
The party emphasized that it remains focused on its internal restructuring and 2027 political strategies, and will not be distracted by what it termed “rogue elements parading themselves as stakeholders.”
“We have a party to build and a country to serve. If anyone feels aggrieved, the court is there. But resorting to unlawful arrest attempts and disruption of lawful party activities is a red line we will not allow anyone to cross,” the statement concluded.
The hearing of the suit is expected to commence in the coming days at the FCT High Court, with the party’s legal team urging the judiciary to send a clear signal that political impunity and illegal policing will no longer be tolerated in a constitutional democracy.
