Justice Donatus Okorowo, of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday has fixed May 10 for the hearing in the suit seeking to put a stop to the May 28 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Primary Election
Although the suit was slated for hearing today, Thursday, to May 5th, counsel to the plaintiff, Paul Erokoro SAN, requested that the Judge by way of adjournment give him more time to enable him put his house in order and be able to respond to the reasons adduced by PDP against the suit of his client.
Erokoro complained that the affidavit by PDP showing cause on why the primary should not be stopped was served on him late on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Counsel to PDP, Mahmud Magaji SAN, did not object to the request for adjournment.
Recall that a presidential aspirant and former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Cosmas Ndukwe, had on April 28 brought an ex-parte application for an order of injunction restraining the PDP from proceeding with its scheduled primary election pending the hearing and determination of his suit challenging the position of the party on the issue of zoning the party’s presidential ticket
PDP, its National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) as 1st to 4th defendants respectively are the defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2022
The judge, however, rather than granting Ndukwe’s request, ordered that the PDP appear before it on May 5 and show why the court should not accede to the plaintiff’s demand.
Justice Okorowo today, subsequently shifted the hearing till May 10 and ordered parties to file and exchange their processes ahead of the day.
At today’s proceedings, Paul Erokoro SAN stood for Ndukwe, Mahmud Magaji SAN for PDP, Kalu Agu for Anyanwu, and Abdulahi Badmos for INEC.
