Nigeria's ADC leadership crisis: Party and Aregbesola ask judge to withdraw from suit over alleged bias | Src: Premium Times (NG) | Desc: The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its interim national secretary Rauf Aregbesola on Monday asked Judge Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja to withdraw from a suit concerning the party’s leadership dispute. Accusing the the judge of bias, they urged him to send the suit to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge. | Article text: The African Democratic Congress (ADC) nas its interim national secretary Rauf Aregbesola on Monday asked Judge Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja to withdraw from a suit concerning the party’s leadership dispute. Accusing the the judge of bias, they urged him to send the suit to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge. The suit was filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, a member of the ADC laying claim to be the authentic chair of the party. In the suit, Mr Gombe sued the ADC, the party’s interim national chairperson, David Mark; interim national secretary, Mr Aregbesola; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ralph Nwosu. Mr Gombe, an official of the party before a wave of defection to the party led to a change in its leadership composition, is challenging the process that produced Mr Mark and Mr Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary of the party. He argues that their emergence was unlawful and contrary to the party’s constitution. He asked the court to nullify their appointments and restrain them from parading themselves as leaders of the party. Mr Gombe opposed the applications for the judge to withdraw from the suit and asked the court to continue hearing the matter. The case, initially before Judge Emeka Nwite of the same court, went to the Supreme Court, later returned to the Federal High Court and reassigned to Judge Lifu for adjudication. Monday’s hearing After hearing parties on Monday, the judge noted that more than 20 applications were before the court. The applications included preliminary objections and motions for recusal. The judge also noted that the case had gone to the Supreme Court and returned before it was assigned to him. Mr Lifu observed that most of the defence’s applications centred on requests for him to withdraw from the matter. He therefore decided to hear all the motions for withdrawal. While moving the motion for recusal, ADC’s lawyer, Shaibu Aruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted that his own application was filed on 2 June. The senior lawyer said the motion sought an order directing the judge to withdraw from the suit and return the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court John Tsoho for reassignment. He urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice. Also moving his motion, Realwan Okpanachi, who appeared for Mr Aregbesola, said his client motion for recusal was filed on 2 June and urged the court to grant it. But Mark’s lawyer, Suleiman Usman, did not move any recusal application, and did not say anything about it. Also, Adamu Bello, who appeared for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said the commission was not seeking the judge’s withdrawal and had no such motion before the court. Mr Nwosu, too, did not ask the judge to withdraw. Meanwhile, Kalu-Kalu Agu, who appeared for Nkemakolam Ukandu, the National Welfare Secretary of ADC seeking to join the suit as a party, noted that he h | Src: Premium Times (NG) | Lang: en | id: 01KTM9VD8MWQTMDGK5Q4JQD61G

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