A hearing in the suit seeking to stop the presidential primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), slated for May 28, has been shifted to May 10 by the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.
Justice Donatus Okorowo fixed the date following complaints by counsel to the plaintiff, Paul Erokoro, SAN, to the effect that an affidavit by PDP showing cause on why the primary should not be stopped was served on him late on Wednesday.
Erokoro accordingly asked for an adjournment to enable him to respond to the reasons adduced by PDP against the suit of his client.
Counsel to PDP, Mahmud Magaji SAN did not object to his request for adjournment.
Justice Okorowo subsequently shifted the hearing to May 10 and ordered parties to file and exchange their processes ahead of the day.
A presidential aspirant and former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Cosmas Ndukwe, had on April 28 brought an ex-parte application for an order of injunction restraining the PDP from proceeding with its scheduled primary election pending the hearing and determination of his suit challenging the position of the party on the issue of zoning the party’s presidential ticket.
Defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2022 are PDP, its National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) as 1st to 4th respectively.
However, rather than granting the request of Ndukwe, the judge ordered that the PDP should appear before it on May 5 and show cause why the court should not accede to the plaintiff’s demand.
At Thursday’s proceedings, Paul Erokoro SAN appeared for Ndukwe, Mahmud Magaji SAN for PDP, Kalu Agu for Anyanwu and Abdulahi Badmos for INEC.