APC joins defected senators to oppose PDP’s suit A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday granted an application by the All Progressives Congress to join, as a co-defendant, a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party seeking to unseat 11 senators who defected to the APC. The suit was instituted before Justice Ahmed Mohammed by the PDP and its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu. The plaintiffs are urging the court to declare the seats of the affected senators vacant having abandoned the party on which platform they won elections into the Senate. Justice Mohammed, in a short ruling on Wednesday, granted APC’s prayer to be joined along with the already existing 13 defendants, which include the 11 defected senators. The Senate President, Senator David Mark, and the Independent National Electoral Commission are the first and the 13th defendants, respectively. Prior to the court’s ruling on Wednesday, the plaintiffs, through their counsel, confirmed to the court that they were no longer interested in opposing APC’s application. Though, INEC was not represented in court, like other defendants in the suit, it did not oppose APC’s application. The court subsequently struck out the PDP’s counter-affidavit after its counsel, Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu (SAN), informed the court that the party was withdrawing its opposition to the application. The court then ordered in its ruling that the plaintiffs’ originating summon be served on the APC, the newly joined defendant, through its counsel, James Ocholi (SAN). The judge ruled, “The application dated April 15, 2014 seeking leave for the APC to be joined as a co-defendant in this suit is hereby granted as prayed. “The originating summon shall be served on the APC through its counsel, Ocholi James (SAN).” He then adjourned the matter till July 8 “for further mention.” APC had urged the court to allow it to be joined because the 11 senators, being its registered members, it would be affected by the outcome of the suit. The affected senators, who are joined as the second to 12th defendants, include Abdulahi Adamu, Ali Ndume, Umaru Dahiru, Shaaba Lafiaji, Bukola Saraki and Magnus Abe.
Posted on: Thu, 29 May 2014 07:12:45 +0000