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ADC Leadership Crisis: Federal High Court Adjourns Case Indefinitely   

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"WXSg3zi5" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"yPfPf1lG" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court&comma; Abuja&comma; has again adjourned indefinitely a suit filed by a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress &lpar;ADC&rpar;&comma; Nafiu Bala Gombe&comma; following a request by the plaintiff seeking the transfer of the case to another judge&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"IbMm4zOg" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Justice Nwite adjourned the matter sine die after parties clashed over a letter written by the plaintiff to the chief judge of the Federal High Court seeking the reassignment of the suit&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>At Friday’s proceedings&comma; counsel for the plaintiff&comma; Luka Haruna&comma; informed the court that the apex court had on April 30 delivered judgment in the interlocutory appeal&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Haruna said the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for lack of merit and also set aside the Court of Appeal’s order staying proceedings in the substantive suit&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The lawyer&comma; however&comma; disclosed that the plaintiff had&comma; through a letter dated May 4&comma; 2026&comma; applied to the chief judge of the Federal High Court for the transfer of the case to another judge&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He said the letter had already been transmitted to the court registrar and urged Justice Nwite to await the administrative decision of the chief judge&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The request immediately drew strong opposition from the defence team&comma; which accused the plaintiff of attempting to frustrate the accelerated hearing earlier ordered by the Court of Appeal and upheld by the Supreme Court&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Counsel for the first defendant&comma; Realwan Okpanachi&comma; who held brief for Shuaibu Aruwa&comma; argued that the plaintiff had misrepresented the outcome of the Supreme Court judgment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to him&comma; the apex court partially allowed the appeal and specifically upheld the appellate court’s order directing accelerated hearing of the case&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Okpanachi further faulted the plaintiff for allegedly ambushing the defendants with the transfer request&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He added that they consider it an attempt to frustrate the order of accelerated hearing granted by the Court of Appeal and upheld by the Supreme Court&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The senior lawyer maintained that litigants were not permitted to choose courts or judges to determine their cases&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He&comma; however&comma; urged the court to maintain the earlier order adjourning the matter sine die pending the filing of the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Counsel for the second defendant&comma; Sulaiman Usman&comma; also condemned the plaintiff’s move&comma; describing it as &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;forum shopping and judge shopping”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Usman told the court that the Supreme Court had commended Justice Nwite &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;in glowing terms” over his handling of the proceedings&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Responding&comma; Haruna faulted the defence for attacking a letter they had not seen&comma; insisting that the plaintiff stood by its application&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Justice Nwite subsequently held that the court could not take any decision on the letter without hearing all parties&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Taking a decision or any action in such a letter without hearing from the defendants will amount to a breach of their fundamental right in this suit&comma;” the judge ruled&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He added that since the letter was addressed to the chief judge&comma; the trial court could not make any pronouncement on it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This matter is best adjourned sine die to afford the parties the opportunity to properly file a Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court in the interlocutory appeal in the suit&comma; to serve the defendants with the letter addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge&comma; and finally to await further or any directive from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court&comma;” Justice Nwite said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The matter was thereafter adjourned indefinitely&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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