There is growing anxiety among top shots of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as an FCT High Court takes a decision today on an application, which seeks to vacate an order restraining the party from holding its convention slated for March 26.
In the last two weeks, there have been tension over the order restraining the party from holding the convention, leading to a move by some governors to effect leadership change in the party.
Thrice, the exercise, which would birth a new crop of National Working Committee (NWC) to take over from the Mai Mala Buni -led caretaker committee, constituted in June 2020, when Adams Oshiomhole was ousted, failed.
The application seeking to set aside the November 18, 2021 ruling of the court restraining the convention was stalled on Tuesday after two lawyers, Shuaibu Aruwan (SAN) and Michael Adoyi, both announced appearances for the APC.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Aruwan informed the court that he had received a letter from the APC confirming his appointing him as the true counsel in the matter as ordered by the court.
He then sought to move the application to set aside the earlier order of the court for want of jurisdiction.
In the application dated March 9, 2022, the APC was asking for “an order of this honourable court striking out the suit in its entirety for want of jurisdiction.
“And for such other order(s) as the honourable court may deem fit in the circumstance.”
However, Mike Enahoro-Eba, counsel to the claimant, Hon. Salisu Umoru, objected to the commencement of the hearing arguing that the rules permit the respondents seven days to reply to the application for setting aside.
He said the issue of defence counsel had just been resolved and they would need time to join issues with the pending applications before the court.
Justice Bello Kawu fixed the matter to Friday, March 18 (today).
The order followed an application by an aggrieved member of the APC, Hon. Salisu Umoru, seeking to restrain the APC, Governor Buni and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from organising any convention until the determination of the suit.
He had further sought an “Interlocutory injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants/respondent (APC and Governor Buni), their allies, agents, representatives, associates or whoever is acting for them or through them from organising, holding or conducting the national convention of the APC in January and February 2022 or any other date either before or after pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
