A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has postponed proceedings in a legal challenge seeking to stop Senator Ireti Kingibe from acting as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with the matter now set for hearing on 9 June.
Justice Peter Lifu granted the adjournment following a request from the plaintiffs’ counsel, I. G. Ogugwa, who indicated that the case does not fall within pre-election matters and asked for more time.
Earlier, on 2 April, the court refused an application for an interim injunction against the senator. Instead, it ordered that she be put on notice to explain why the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs should not be granted.
The case, which had been scheduled for hearing on 20 April, includes several pending applications, among them a preliminary objection lodged by the defendant’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar.
The plaintiffs — Okezuo Kanayo, Chairman of ADC Wuse Ward, and Secretary Isaiah Samuel — initiated the suit against Senator Kingibe, who currently represents the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate.
Filed through their counsel, Kolawole Olowookere, SAN, the application seeks to restrain the senator from engaging in activities reserved for ADC members until the court reaches a final decision.
The plaintiffs maintain that Senator Kingibe, as a party member, is subject to the ADC constitution. They state that she was suspended on 10 March by the ward executive committee following allegations of misconduct, anti-party behaviour, and the alleged confiscation of ward records.
They assert that the suspension complied with party rules and was endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the executive.
However, they accuse the senator of continuing to act in defiance of the suspension by holding separate meetings, issuing public statements as a party member, and allegedly using security personnel to intimidate party officials, thereby creating instability within the ward.
