Court Restrains APC Officials from Interfering with NEC Meeting

• Obaseki convenes South-south summit

Alex Enumah, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

There was a new twist yesterday to the crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) restrained the party’s National Legal Adviser, Mr. Babatunde Ogala, and two other executive members of the APC from interfering with the scheduled meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party slated for March 17, 2020.

Ahead of the emergency NEC meeting of the ruling party, the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will today hold a consultative meeting with the leaders of the party from the South-south.

Also restrained alongside Ogala are the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, and ‘National Secretary,’ Mr. Waziri Bulama.
Justice S. U. Bature restrained the trio while ruling on an ex-parte application filed by the party’s National Vice Chairman (North-east), Mr. Mustapha Salihu.

The motion marked: CV/1385/2020 was filed and argued on behalf of Salihu by his lawyer, Mr. Afamefuna Ekekwe.
Also sued as the fourth defendant is the APC.

Salihu in the ex-parte application prayed the court for: “An order restraining the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants either by themselves or agents or any member of the APC from interfering with, disturbing or taking any steps or action described howsoever towards disrupting the meeting of the National Executive Committee convened by the 4th defendant, National Working Committee members, scheduled for March 17, 2020 or any subsequent date pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed.”

He also prayed the court to compel the APC to give effect to the resolution of the NWC convening the NEC meeting of the APC scheduled for March 17, 2020.
In his ruling, Justice Bature granted the application as prayed and adjourned till March 20, 2020, for the hearing of the motion on notice.

He also ordered the service of the originating summons and all processes in the matter on the defendants through substituted means – any adult at the office of the Deputy National Secretary at the APC’s National Secretariat at No. 40 Blantyre Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.