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By Correspondent in Abuja.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned proceedings in a high-stakes intra-party dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with the legal battle over the status of Senator Ireti Kingibe now set for further hearing on June 9.
The Presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, fixed the new date on Monday following an application for adjournment by counsel to the plaintiffs, I. G. Ogugwa, who urged the court to grant more time, noting that the matter was not a pre-election case.
The suit, filed before the Federal High Court, seeks to restrain Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate, from parading herself as a member of the ADC pending the determination of the substantive case.
The adjournment marks the latest twist in the dispute, which has pitted the lawmaker against her ward executives in Wuse, Abuja, over allegations of anti-party activities and misconduct.
Earlier, in a ruling delivered on April 2, Justice Lifu declined to grant an interim injunction sought by the plaintiffs to immediately bar the senator from acting as a member of the party. Instead, the court directed that Kingibe be put on notice to show cause why the reliefs sought against her should not be granted.
The judge had also scheduled April 20 for the hearing of all pending applications, including a preliminary objection filed by Kingibe’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar, before the matter was subsequently adjourned.
The plaintiffs, Mr Okezuo Kanayo, Chairman of ADC, Wuse Ward, and the ward secretary, Mr Isaiah Samuel, approached the court through their counsel, Kolawole Olowookere, SAN, with an ex-parte motion dated March 17.
In their application, they are seeking, among other reliefs, an order of interim injunction restraining Kingibe from performing any functions or participating in activities reserved for ADC members in any capacity until the final determination of the suit.
They argued that although Kingibe is a serving senator, she remains subject to the party’s constitution and disciplinary processes as a member of the ADC.
According to the plaintiffs, the lawmaker was suspended on March 10 by the Wuse Ward Executive Committee over what they described as substantiated allegations of anti-party conduct, gross misconduct, and the alleged confiscation of the ward’s statutory records.
The suspension, they maintained, followed due process and was ratified by a two-thirds majority of the ward’s executive committee in line with the party’s constitution.
However, the plaintiffs alleged that despite being duly notified of the suspension, Kingibe has continued to hold parallel meetings and issue public statements as a member of the party.
They further accused the senator of deploying her security aides to intimidate ward officials, a development they claimed has deepened internal tensions and created what they described as a state of anarchy within the party structure at the grassroots level.
With the matter now adjourned to June 9, all eyes will be on the court as it prepares to hear arguments on the substantive issues and determine the legality of the senator’s continued association with the ADC.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
