Legal Nigeria

Court fixes Friday to hear suit seeking to stop APC National Convention

By NAN

APC

An FCT High Court in Kubwa fixer Friday to hear a suit seeking to stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention.

The plaintiff in the matter, Salisu Umoru, dragged APC, the Chairman Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Gov. Mai Mala Buni and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the court to challenge the planned convention.

Justice Bello Kawu fixed the date for the hearing following the plaintiff’s counsel, Mike Enaharo-Ebah’s application for an adjournment.

Enaharo-Ebah told the court that he needs time to go through some applications due to the clash of representation of defence counsel on March 15.

He said there were two counsel for APC and Buni and the court adjourned the matter until Thursday for a report of proper representation which has been resolved.

” We need to address his processes since issues of representation has been resolved and ask for a short adjournment to enable us file counters and written addresses with some of the pending bail applications, ” Enaharo-Ebah said.

In response, the defence counsel, Shuaibu Aruwa SAN, said he filed a notice of change of counsel duly served to the plaintiff on March 10 with his address endorsed on it.

Aruwa, however, urged the court to discountenance the claimant’s application for adjournment and hear the pending application.

Earlier, the defence counsel told the court that he had written two separate letters to the court on representing the defendants on March 16.

Aruwa said one of the letters was signed on behalf of the APC by Head of Legal Services, Dare Oketabi and the second signed by the second defendant, Buni confirming that Aruwa’s law firm was briefed to represent the defendants in the suit.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Umoru in his reliefs sought an order directing the APC and its Chairman caretaker/Extraordinary convention Planning Committee, Buni to stop its planned National Convention.

He also sought an order directing Buni to begin reconciliation process to resolve all the disputes that emanated from the local government congresses before the conduct of APC National Convention.

The court had on Nov. 18, granted an interim injunction restraining the APC from proceeding with its planned Convention.