Taraba APC crisis: Court reserves ruling on Lau’s chairmanship suit

The Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, Taraba State, has reserved ruling in a suit seeking to nullify the All Progressives Congress (APC) state chairmanship primary election.

Justice Mashkur Salisu adjourned the matter on Wednesday to a date to be communicated after hearing arguments from counsel representing the parties.

The suit was filed by an APC chairmanship aspirant, Abdulhadi Haruna Lau, who is challenging his exclusion from the party’s chairmanship primary and seeking the nullification of the exercise.

During the proceedings, counsel to the plaintiff, Musa Attah, SAN, argued that Lau had the right to contest the APC chairmanship position but was denied the opportunity to participate in the primary.

Attah maintained that the court had jurisdiction to entertain the matter, arguing that the plaintiff’s case was not beyond the powers of the judiciary.

The plaintiff’s counsel also disputed the claim by counsel to the second defendant that Lau had failed to pay his party dues for 2023 to 2025.

According to him, Lau had paid the required fees and was issued a receipt but was allegedly denied the form required to contest the chairmanship election.

“He was denied the form to contest after paying the money. A receipt of payment was issued to the plaintiff, but the receipt for the purchase of the intention form was not issued to him,” Attah argued.

However, counsel to the APC, Festus Kayode, SAN, urged the court to strike out the suit, arguing that the documents before the court were properly executed.

Kayode maintained that the matter concerned the internal affairs of the political party and urged the court to decline jurisdiction.

He argued that where the party determined that an aspirant was not qualified to contest, such a decision fell within the party’s internal processes.

Similarly, counsel to the second defendant, John Okezie, argued that Lau had only paid for the aspiration form but failed to pay the penalty fee stipulated by the party’s constitution.

Okezie said the plaintiff had not produced evidence of payment of the penalty fee or any evidence from the APC National Working Committee supporting his claim.

Lau, through his legal team, is asking the court to invalidate the APC chairmanship primary on the grounds that he was unlawfully excluded despite purchasing the party’s nomination forms and, according to his claim, meeting the requirements to contest.

The plaintiff contends that he completed the necessary procedures and was qualified to participate in the primary but was denied the opportunity without a valid explanation.

He further argued that his exclusion violated his constitutional rights and undermined the principles of internal democracy within the party.

Lau is urging the judiciary to intervene, arguing that allowing the alleged exclusion of qualified aspirants from party primaries to stand could undermine confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The court has now adjourned the matter for ruling, with the date to be communicated to the parties.