16th March, 2020
The Court of Appeal played the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, like football today, 24 hours to the NEC meeting called by rebels bent on cementing his ouster as chairman.
Oshiomhole, with his lawyers was disappointed when the appeal court failed to call the case.
Although he has a conflicting, concurrent court order from Kano High Court, Oshiomhole filed the appeal against the ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which asked him to step aside as chairman.
The Appeal court last week sent notices of hearing to parties in the appeal. But, when parties got to court today, a panel of three justices led by Justice Stephen Adah sat to hear other cases.
The panel later rose, with a promise that another panel will be reconstituted to hear Oshiomole’s appeal, reported The Nation
Parties were however, taken aback when, rather than having a new panel, a female official of the court announced to a packed courtroom that the court has elected to hear Oshiomole’s appeal on a later date to be communicated to parties later.
Oshiomhole and his supporters, who have been in court since a little over 8 am, are currently meeting with their team of lawyers on what next steps to take.
As he left the court, Oshiomhole told journalists that he would await the court’s decision in the case.
Oshiomhole’s appeal is against an earlier judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which among others, restrained him acting as the National Chairman of the APC.
Meanwhile, Abiola Ajimobi, Waziri Bulama and Paul Chukwuma, new officials of the National Working Committee were armed with a Federal High Court order on 12 March barring the APC from convening a NEC meeting without them. Ajimobi is the new as acting Deputy National Chairman, Waziri Bulama, acting National Secretary and Paul Chukuma, acting National Auditor.