The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered all parties involved in the Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership dispute to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit before it.
Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the directive after lawyers representing the parties informed the court that they had exchanged the necessary legal processes. The suit was filed by Sesugh Kaaba against the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), challenging developments arising from the party’s leadership dispute in Benue State.
During the proceedings, counsel to the plaintiff, Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed, told the court that the matter was scheduled for the defendants to show cause why the reliefs sought in the plaintiff’s ex parte application should not be granted. He said both the APC and INEC had complied with the court’s earlier order by filing affidavits in response.
Counsel to the APC, S. D. Swem, informed the court that the party had filed an affidavit to show cause and a counter affidavit to the plaintiff’s motion on notice, although its response to the originating summons was still pending. INEC’s counsel, Oluwole Olukunle, confirmed that the commission had also responded to the plaintiff’s filings.
Justice Ekwo noted that once parties have submitted to the court’s jurisdiction, they are expected to refrain from taking any action that could affect the subject of the litigation. He warned that any attempt to alter the existing situation while the case is pending would amount to taking the law into one’s own hands. The court subsequently directed all parties to maintain the status quo until the matter is heard and determined.
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