The Speaker of the house of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, 2015 Bauchi guber candidate, Ambassador Yusuf M. Tuggar and eight others have sued the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, over the conduct of ward and local government congresses of the party in Bauchi State.
Speaking on phone exclusively to DAILY ASSeT, Amb Tuggar said, what was deemed to be “congresses” can only be described as a travesty and a perversion of the constitution of the party we helped to create and build.
“ The matter is in court and as such I will not dwell to much into details. But suffice it to say that the parody being presented as congresses in Bauchi State is a desperate attempt by henchmen to forcibly take control of the party away from its teeming supporters
atallcostinordertouseitasa platform in 2019 because it is the ruling party at the centre”.
“I can give you an example with my local government area, where a PDP member who was LGA chairman in 2009 and denied President Buhari access to the government lodge and its toilet when he came to commission my projects, when I was a member of the House, is now been brought into the party to be used to create a leadership structure”.
“So naturally, he is using his PDP people to form the new party executives. e people have not forgotten what happened in 2009 nor are they going to forgive APC if it allows this betrayal and injustice to stand”, Tuggar lamented.
The plaintiffs claimed that the conduct of the congresses was in breach of the APC Constitution and congress guidelines.
They asked the court to halt today’s state congress in their state on account of the pending suit.
In the suit led by A.U. Mustapha, SAN from A.U. Mustapha, SAN & Co, the Speaker alleged that the results of ward and local government congresses in the state were “cooked up.”
The defendants are APC, Oyegun, National Secretary of APC, State Chairman of APC, Dr. Tony Macfoy and Mr. Sam Para.
Apart from Dogara and Tuggar, other plainti s are Senators Sulaiman Nazif, Isa Hammah Misau and Muhammad Muhammad; Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame; Hon. Ibrahim Zailani and Captain Mohammed Bala Jibrin.
The 10 aggrieved stalwarts sought the following reliefs from the Federal High Court, Abuja:
An order of interim injunction restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants by themselves or through their agents, assigns, privies sta or any other person or persons acting through them from recognising, ratifying or according legitimacy to the ward and local government congresses of the All Progressives Congress conducted in Bauchi State on the 5th and 12th day of May respectively, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendants, their agents, cohorts, privies or any other persons deriving authority from recognising the purported ward and local government congresses conducted in Bauchi on 5th and 12th days of May, 2018 respectively.
A declaration that the purported ward and local government congresses of the All Progressives Congress purportedly conducted in Bauchi State on the 5th and 12th days of May 2018 respectively are illegal, invalid, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
A declaration that the results declared by the 5th Respondent pursuant to the purported ward and local government congresses are illegal, invalid, null, void and of no e ect whatsoever.
An order restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants from recognising the purported ward and local government congresses of the All Progressives Congress conducted in Bauchi State on the 5th and 12th days of May, 2018 respectively.
An order directing the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Defendants to immediately conduct fresh wards and local government congresses in Bauchi State.
An order restraining the persons who were declared as winners at the purported wards and local government congresses purportedly held on the 5th and 12th days of May, 2018 respectively from parading themselves as executive o cers/ delegates of the 1st Defendant’s wards and local government Areas of Bauchi State.
An order stopping them from conducting or taking any step to conduct the state congress of the All Progressives Congress or any other congress in Bauchi State pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.
Whilesuit FHC/ABJ/CS/521/2018 has not been assigned by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdu Kafarati, the Speaker wrote a letter to Oyegun (through his counsel) requesting the party to stay action on the state congress today in view of the pending action.
The letter said in part: “ e above subject matter refers. We are counsel to the Plaintiffs (herein after referred to as “Our Clients”) in the above named suit instituted by the Plaintiffs challenging the legality of the conduct of the Ward and Local Government Congresses purportedly held on the 5th and 12th days of May, 2018 in Bauchi State on whose rm instruction we write.
“We wish to notify your esteemed self of the pendency of the above named suit which we instituted on behalf of our clients to challenge the conduct of the Ward and Local Government Congresses purportedly held on the 5th and 12th days of May, 2018.
“In the said suit, our clients are praying the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for declaratory and injunctive reliefs against the All Progressives Congress, the Principal O cers of the Party and the Committees constituted for the conduct of the said congresses.
“Furthermore, in the pending suit, we also seek Interim and Interlocutory injunctions restraining the Defendants from proceeding with the conduct of the State Congress scheduled to hold in Bauchi State on Saturday the 19th day of May, 2018.
“Please nd attached copies of the court’s processes in respect of the pending Suit for your information and proper guidance.
“Take notice therefore, that the planned or forthcoming state congress slated for Saturday, the 19th day of May, 2018, must not hold in view of the long settled principle of law that when a suit is pending in court, parties are not allowed to take steps that will have nugatory e ect on the outcome of the suit or foist on the court a fait accompli.
“Further take notice that any attempt to proceed with the planned or forthcoming state congress in Bauchi State on Saturday the 19th May, 2018, would be an a ront on the judiciary as same is now subjudice.
“Consequently, we request that you use your good offices to ensure that APC, the ruling party, conforms with the tenets of the rule of law by ensuring that the forthcoming APC state congress in Bauchi State is suspended forthwith pending the determinationoftheabovecaptioned suit.”
In an a davit by Hon. Maryam Garba Bagel (Dass Constituency, Bauchi State House of Assembly), she said: “ at I know as a fact that the purported Ward and Local Government Congresses of the 1st Defendant purportedly conducted in Bauchi State on 5th and 12th May 2018 were fraught with widespread irregularities from the initial preparations to the eventual conduct of the purported conduct of the congresses.
“ at the Party Constitution and Congress guidelines were observed in breach during the conduct of the purported congresses thereby disenfranchising many aspirants and members of the party from participation.
“ at I know as a fact that members of the party in my constituency were gathered at the venue for the ward congress but were dispersed by security operatives at the instance of the State Government.
“ at agent of the State Government therea er cooked up results of the purported elections at the various wards and forwarded same to the Ward Congress Committee.
“ at the Ward Congress is the root upon which the conduct of Local and State Government Congresses is predicated, and as same has turned out to be a total fiasco, there is the need by this Honourable Court to nullify same.”
