Edozie Udeojo, Adewunmi Tosho,Abuja
… APC Vice Chairman Dissociates Self from New Court Order
An FCT High Court Maitama on Thursday extended an order given earlier permitting Chief Victor Giadom to act as the National Chairman of the party to 14 days.
This came on the heels of Appeal Court’s affirmation of suspension of Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday.
Justice Samira Bature , had on March 16 granted the interim order in a motion ex-parte, marked FCT/HC/M/6447/2020, filed by APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu.
Joined as defendants in the motion are Babatunde Ogala; Lanre Issa-Onilu; Waziri Bulama and the party, APC.
Salihu had approached the court, through the exparte motion, seeking for an interim order allowing Giadom to pilot the affairs of the party as acting chairman .
Also to preside at all meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) pending the decision of the party’s NEC fixed for March 17.
The applicant also sought an interim order restraining the APC and its officers or anyone purporting to act as an officer of the 4th defendant (APC) from preventing or in any way disturbing Giadom from functioning as the acting chairman.
Adding that, unless otherwise decided by the NEC of the party pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
Wole Afolabi, counsel for the plaintiffs approached the court for an extension of the interim order.
Justice Bature granted a two-week extension of the court’s March 16 interim order in line with Rule 3 of the Covid- 19 Practice Direction of the FCT High Court.
“Consequent and in line with Rule 3 of the Covid- 19 Practice Direction of the FCT High Court, 2020, the order of this court made on the 16th day of March, 2020 is hereby extended for a period of two (2) weeks.
“Application is hereby granted as prayed,” Bature stated.
Meanwhile ,the National Vice Chairman (North-east) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , Comrade Mustapha Salihu, has dissociated himself from a purported interim court order obtained by the Deputy National Secretary Victor Giadom ordering him (Salihu) to act as the national secretary of the party.
Salihu insisted that he was not a party to the said suit, saying that it was not in his character to play dirty politics, especially when the party is going through trying times.
A court order dated June 16, 2020 obtained at the FCT High Court sitting at Maitama and presided over by Justice S.U Bature and having Salihu as the purported applicant granted the interim order that Salihu should act as national secretary pending “the decision of a validly convened National Executive Committee (NEC) or pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed, whichever comes first.”
The motion ex-parte with number FCT/HC/M/7707/2020 was supported by an affidavit sworn by one Obinna Ugwu.
However, Salihu in a telephone interview with journalists Thursday, said that there was no way he would have been part of the so called interim order when he was at a meeting of the party’s stakeholders from the North-east when the decision was reached to nominate and endorse Architect Waziri Bulama as the acting national secretary of the party.
He stated: “My zone, the North-east has already nominated Architect Waziri Bulama in the presence of the Senate president, APC governors from the zone and other party stakeholders as the acting national secretary. I was at the meeting where this decision was reached. So why now would I go back to obtain a court order to act as national secretary?
“I was not part of such shenanigan. It is not in my character to play such dirty politics and I condemn in strong terms those behind the act. At a time like this when the party is going through trying times, it is such a time that all lovers of the party must pull together to keep the party running.”
Those joined in the said application as defendants are: the national legal adviser, Babatunde Ogala, national publicity secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, acting national secretary , Waziri Bulama and the APC.