Court delays decision on APC chairmanship primary case in Taraba

The Federal High Court in Jalingo, Taraba State, has postponed its decision on a case about Abdulhadi Haruna Lau's exclusion from the All Progressives Congress (APC) state chairmanship primary.

Justice Mashkur Salisu made this decision on Wednesday after lawyers for both sides presented their arguments in court.

Mr Lau wants the court to cancel the primary. He claims he was qualified to run but was stopped from participating even after completing the necessary steps set by the party.

His lawyer, Musa Attah, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), told the court that Mr Lau paid the required fees and got a receipt. But then, he was not given the form needed to enter the election.

"He was denied the form to contest after paying the money," Mr Attah said.

The lawyer also asked the court to reject the argument that this issue was only an internal matter for the APC and should not be handled by the court.

The APC, through its lawyer, Festus Kayode, SAN, asked the court to throw out the case.

Mr Kayode said that the documents submitted to the court were done correctly and that the issue was about the party’s internal management.

He insisted that the court should not interfere with the party's decision about who can contest its internal elections.

The lawyer for the second defendant, John Okezie, also opposed Mr Lau's case.

Mr Okezie said that even though Mr Lau paid for the aspiration form, he did not meet another financial requirement set by the party.

He specifically claimed that the plaintiff did not pay the 'penalty' fee needed under the APC rules.

The defence team added that Mr Lau did not show proof of paying the penalty fee or any document from the APC National Working Committee confirming his right to take part in the primary.

The arguments have raised two key questions: Did Mr Lau meet all the requirements to run for the APC chairmanship? Does the Federal High Court have the power to step in and challenge the party's decision to exclude him?

Mr Lau’s legal team insists that he followed the required steps and was denied the chance to contest without a good reason.

On the other hand, the APC and the second defendant maintain that he did not fulfill the party's requirements and that the court should not get involved in the party's internal matters.

After both sides finished their arguments, Justice Salisu has postponed the decision on the case.

The court will let the parties know the date for the ruling soon.