A Federal High Court in Abuja presided by Justice A. Abdul-Kafarati has adjourned the All Progressives Grand Alliance leadership suit between Chief Maxi Okwu and Chief Victor Umeh to 31st October, 2013 for hearing of the substantive matter and preliminary objection.
Justice Abdul-Kafarati also directed that the defendants Chief Umeh, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi (National Secretary of Umeh’s faction) and INEC should be served notice for the 31st October hearing.
Chief Chris Uche SAN lawyer for Okwu, Ibrahim Carefor, Dickson Ogu, Gbenga Afeni and Abubakar Adamu told the Court that the defendants were duly served and had entered appearance while Umeh and Shinkafi through their lawyer Chief Patrick Ikwueto had filed a preliminary objection. He urged the Court to take both the substantive suit and the preliminary objection together as time is of essence. The defendants and their lawyers were absent.
Maxi Okwu and four others instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/563/2013 on 19th August 2013, against Victor Umeh, Sani Shinkafi and INEC seeking a Court order directing the second defendant (Shinkafi) to vacate office as National Secretary of the Party having been first elected into office on 10th January 2003, and was re-elected for a second tenure which expired on 9th January 2010.
An order directing the first and second defendants and all the officers they represent to vacate their offices forthwith not having been elected in accordance with Article 18(4) of the Constitution of the Party which prescribes mandatorily that elections into the offices shall be by secret ballot, and order directing INEC to deal with Maxi Okwu’s leadership of APGA.
Victor Eneh
Senior Media Assistant to Chief Maxi Okwu,
National Chairman, APGA
