EMMANUEL AWARI, Jalingo
Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo has granted an expatriate order of the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Bawa.
Speaking with Journalists shortly, the counsel to the Plaintiff, Barrister Pius Danba Pius Esq, said that the decision is in line with court proceedings.
He said that the matter was initially slated for a hearing but could not proceed due to difficulties in serving the defendant.
“We discovered that the APC chairman had not been served with the court processes. We therefore applied for substituted service, and the court has granted an order permitting the originating processes to be pasted at the APC secretariat,” he said.
According to him, attempts to personally serve the chairman had been unsuccessful, alleging that he had consistently evaded service.
“We have made several efforts to serve him, but he has been unavailable. The court, having considered this, granted the order for substituted service.
“We applied for the substituted processes to be pasted on the APC Secretariat, which the Court granted and adjourned the matter, because we have been struggling to serve him with the Court process, but he has been avoiding service.
“The Court has agreed to and issued an order to be pasted in the APC Secretariat.”
He disclosed that the business of the Court will continue even in the absence of the APC Chairman.
“It is not a must that you must be heard; once you are given an opportunity like this, the court will continue with the case and the judgment will be delivered in his absence.
“Whether the Chairman shows up or not, the business of the Court will continue, because the rules permit that when you have been served, the rules of fair hearing should be given the opportunity to be heard.”
Also speaking, a member of the APC, Mr. Emmanuel George, said that the case is more of an in-house affair.
“The matter can be resolved internally. I believe that people are working tirelessly to ensure that the matter is resolved amicably.
“As members of the APC, we are loyal to our leader in the state, His Excellency Dr. Agbu Kefas,” he said.
The order followed the alleged failure of the APC chairman to accept court processes in a suit challenging the outcome of the party’s recent state chairmanship primary.
According to information gathered, one of the aspirants in the exercise, Alhaji Abdulhadi Lau, had approached the court, accusing the party leadership and its chairman of irregularities during the primary election.
Lau argued that the process did not provide a level playing field for all contestants, prompting his decision to seek judicial intervention.
The matter was adjourned to June 8, 2026, for further proceedings.
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