Court adjourns suit seeking to stop Ireti Kingibe from acting as ADC member

The Federal High Court on Monday adjourned a suit seeking to stop Senator Ireti Kingibe from parading herself as a member of the African Democratic Congress until June 9 for hearing.

Justice Peter Lifu fixed the date following an application for adjournment by counsel for the plaintiffs, I. G. Ogugwa.

Ogugwa told the court that the matter was not a pre-election case and requested a longer adjournment date.

The court had earlier, on April 2, declined an application seeking an interim order restraining Kingibe from presenting herself as a member of the ADC.

Instead, the judge ordered the plaintiffs to put the senator on notice to show cause why the reliefs sought should not be granted.

The matter had initially been adjourned to April 20 for hearing of all pending applications, including a preliminary objection filed by Kingibe’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar.

The suit was filed by two executive members of the ADC in Wuse Ward, Abuja — Okezuo Kanayo and Isaiah Samuel.

Through their lawyer, Kolawole Olowookere, the plaintiffs asked the court to restrain Kingibe from performing any functions or participating in activities reserved for party members pending the determination of the substantive suit.

They argued that the senator was suspended by the Wuse Ward Executive Committee on March 10 over alleged anti-party activities, gross misconduct and confiscation of the ward’s statutory records.

The plaintiffs further alleged that Kingibe continued to hold parallel meetings, issue statements as an ADC member and used her security aides to intimidate ward executives.