Benue APC Crisis: Court extends order stopping removal of Agada

The order of a Benue State High Court sitting in Makurdi restraining the National Working Committee, NWC of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from removing Austin Agada as the Benue State chairman of the party has been extended.

the court sitting in Makurdi on 21/8/204 granted an interim injunction restraining the APC from dissolving the Benue State Working Committee, SWC of the party and adjourned the case to 28 /8/ 2024 for hearing of motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction.

When the case came up on Wednesday, Counsel to the APC, Yahaya Dangana SAN who led a team of seven lawyers with the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order of the State, told the court that they were within time to file their responses to the various processes filed by Alyebo.

He also served a notice of preliminary objection on Agada’s lawyer in court and argued that no further step can be taken in the proceedings until the objection is taken.

Reacting to the argument, M.T. Alyebo who appeared for Agada and the other applicants told the Court that the filing of a preliminary objection cannot constitute a bar to the court’s unfettered powers to preserve the rest and maintain status quo antebellum in any case.

He urged the Court to extend the lifespan of the Interim order earlier granted.

All arguments by Dangana SAN to stop the extension of the restraining order met a brick wall as Alyebo remained resolute and convinced the court beyond doubt.

Ruling, Justice Igoche extended the Order by another seven days dismissing the speculation by Dangana that the order was served after the dissolution.

The court made it clear that the injunction was made and served in the “morning” while the dissolution was done in the “evening”.