A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Adewale Hameed, on Wednesday urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to declare the tenure elongation of the APC’s national officers as unconstitutional.
Listed as the defendants are , the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Mr. Segun Oni, and the Deputy National Chairman (North),Senator Lawal Shaibu.
Others are the party’s National Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Gubi, and the Vice-Chairman (South-West), Mr. Pius Akinyelure, as the fourth and fifth defendants.
The APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission are the sixth and seventh defendants in the matter.
Recall that at a joint meeting of the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the party in Abuja, the tenure of the officials was extended by one year with effect from June 30.
Consequent upon that decision, the applicant had on March 9 filed an originating summons, seeking the determination of the court on whether the extension of the tenure of the NEC and NWC elected or appointed members of the party was constitutional.
He wants the court to determine if the defendants have the constitutional right under Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 13 and 17 of the APC Constitution to extend the tenure of the NEC and NWC members.
The applicant, through his counsel, Mr. Babatunde Fashanu (SAN), had filed a motion ex-parte before the court, urging it to grant four orders pending the hearing of the substantive suit.
The applicant wants an order granting leave to the plaintiff to sue the first to fifth defendants on behalf of all officers of the NEC and the NWC of the APC.
“An order granting the applicant leave to serve the first to fourth and the sixth defendants the originating summons by leaving it with the front desk officer of the sixth defendant.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the first to sixth defendants from implementing the purported tenure elongation of the presently elected organs of the APC; and an order of interim injunction restraining the seventh defendant from recognising the decision of the first to the sixth defendants to extend its tenure beyond four years,” the applicant added.
He attached an affidavit sworn to by the applicant as a member of the APC to the motion.
The counsel also attached as exhibits of a copy of the applicant’s voter card and the APC Constitution.
In her ruling, Justice Mojosola Olatoregun granted the first two prayers but requested the applicant to put the other defendants on notice for the last two orders.
The court also asked the applicant to serve all the processes and hearing notices on the defendants.
The case was adjourned until March 27 for hearing of the motion.
