Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, has set aside Thursday to rule on the suit on the ward congress of the State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) brought before it by some aggrieved ward chairmen of the party.
Plaintiffs, in Suit No FHC/OW/CS/69/2018, had prayed the court to declare as null and void results claimed to have emanated from the APC ward congress in the state, insisting that the congress never held.
The defendants in the suit include the immediate past APC national organising secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, Chairman of the party, Chief Hilary Eke, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others.
The presiding judge, Justice Lewis Allagoa, after hearing motions on the originating summons from counsel to both plaintiffs and defendants, adjourned the matter to Thursday, for judgment.
Counsel to some of the defendants and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kelvin Nwufor, in his preliminary objection, argued that counsel to the plaintiff did not seek the leave of the court to serve those residing outside the jurisdiction of the court with the originating summon and, therefore, prayed the court to dismiss the suit as it constitutes an abuse of the proceedings of the court.
However, in his submission in support of the originating summon, counsel to the plaintiffs, Ben Osaka, argued that there were sufficient documented evidences before the court to prove that the ward congress did not hold across the state.