Katsina congresses: Court shifts suit against APC, INEC to Dec 5

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday shifted hearing in a legal action seeking the nullification of wards, local government and the state congresses of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on account of violation of party guidelines and laws to December 5.

The matter which slated for hearing yesterday could not be heard as all the elected council chairmen of the APC have been joined as defendants in the suit filed against the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by two aggrieved governorship aspirants of the party, Alhaji Garba Sank Dankani and Mohamad Dada Mainasara.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, Justice Folashade-Giwa Ogunbanjo granted the application filed by the Katsina council chairmen of the APC through their lawyer Mahmud Magaji (SAN) making them co- defendants to the suit.

However, counsel to the two governorship aspirants. Chief Ola Olanipekun (SAN) pleaded with the court to grant him a short adjournment to enable him respond appropriately to the issues raised by the new defendants against the grievances of his clients.

The senior counsel also applied for order of the court permitting him to amend his originating summons to reflect the names of the council chairmen, who were joined as defendants in the suit.

In a short ruling, the judge granted the adjournment and adjourned the matter to December 5 and also permitted the plaintiffs to amend their originating summons to reflect names of new defendants.

Two governorship aspirants, Alhaji Garba Sani Dankani and Muhammad Sada Mainasara, who instituted the court action, are praying the court to nullify, invalidate and set aside the purported congresses claimed to have been conducted by the APC in all the wards and local government areas of Katsina State in May this year.

The grouse of the two governorship aspirants is that the APC did not comply with any known law before coming to the wrongful conclusion that officers have been elected for the wards, local governments in Katsina State.

In the suit instituted by Ola Olanipekun SAN, the plaintiffs are praying the court for an order restraining the two defendants from recognizing any person or group of persons from parading themselves as elected ward,

local government and state executives of the APC pending the conduct of valid Congresses in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act and APC constitution.

The two governorship aspirants also prayed the court to restrain both APC and INEC from recognizing any person or group of persons to parade themselves as elected officers in the ward, local government and the state until valid Congresses are conducted in line with the constitution of the APC.

Besides, the plaintiffs applied for another order to compel APC to conduct Congresses for the wards, local governments and state chapter of the party and which must be observed and monitored by INEC in line with the provisions of the law.

The two governorship aspirants asked the court to restrain INEC from accepting anybody or group as nominated candidate for elective office for Katsina State for 2019 until valid Congresses have been conducted in a democratic manner.