The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday adjourned a suit seeking to stop Ireti Kingibe, the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, from parading herself as member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) until 9 June for hearing.
The judge, Peter Lifu, fixed the date following an application for adjournment by the plaintiffs’ lawyer, I. G. Ogugwa.
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Mr Ogugwa, who said the matter was not a pre-election case, urged the court to set a distant hearing date.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judge, on 2 April, refused to grant an application seeking an interim order restraining Ms Kingibe from parading herself as a member of the ADC.
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The judge, in a ruling, rather ordered the plaintiffs in the suit to put the senator on notice to show cause why the reliefs sought should not be granted.
He then adjourned the matter until 20 April for hearing of all pending applications, including a preliminary objection filed by the lawmaker’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar.
Two executive members of the ADC in Wuse Ward, Abuja had sued Ms Kingibe as sole defendant.
The plaintiffs are Mr Okezuo Kanayo, Chairman of ADC, Wuse Ward, and his Secretary, Mr Isaiah Samuel.
They filed an ex-parte motion through their lawyer, Kolawole Olowookere, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
In the motion, filed on 17 March, the plaintiffs sought an order of interim injunction restraining Mr Kingibe from performing any functions or participating in any activities reserved for ADC’s members in any capacity, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
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in their seven grounds of argument, their lawyer submitted that Ms Kingibe, though a sitting senator, said following substantiated allegations of anti-party activities, gross misconduct, and the physical confiscation of the ward’s statutory records, the Wuse Ward Executive Committee, on suspended her on 10 March.
According to Mr Olowookere, the suspension followed due process as enshrined in the ADC constitution and was ratified by a two-thirds majority of the executive committee.
The lawyer said Ms Kingibe had continued to hold parallel meetings, issue press statements as an ADC member.
He alleged that the lawmaker also utilised her security detail to intimidate the ward executives, thereby creating a state of anarchy.
(NAN)
