By INNOCENT ANABA

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, adjourned till October 2, hearing in the suit against the All Progressives Congress, APC, challenging its just concluded Ward Congress in Lagos.

The plaintiff, Mr Bamidele Avoseh, is praying the court through his counsel, Mr Aruwayo Omoniyi, to set aside the congress, for being irregular.
He is also praying the court to declare that the refusal to submit his name as a delegate duly listed to contest the State Delegates Congress election, was contrary to the Electoral Act.

Defendants in the suit are APC, Mr Joseph Ayodeji, Mr Tayo Sanyaolu,  Tunde Balogun, Chairman APC Lagos, National Chairman APC, and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Hearing in the matter could not go on due to the absence of the trial judge.
In his affidavit, the plaintiff averred that the APC guidelines bestowed on the State Congress Committee, the responsibility of displaying the names of candidates vying for party positions in Wards, Local Government, and State Congresses adding that the Committee was to announce the names of aspirants within 48 hours before the conduct of election, forward same to INEC officers in the state, informing them of the venue of the congress.

He averred that his name and four others were listed as state congress aspirants from Apapa Ward C in a harmonised list, signed by the second defendant, who is Chairman of the Local Government.

He added  that whereas, the name of the third defendant was listed as an aspirant for the Local Government Area Election in Apapa Ward C, on April 25, the list of all Wards in Apapa LGA was published and delegates tags were released to aspirants, he eventually discovered that the Apapa ward list was missing.

He averred that the delegate’s tags were not released to him and others who were duly listed in the harmonized Ward list and that on the election day on April 26, he was not allowed into the congress venue at the State’s Secretariat of the APC, due to known accreditation and availability of tags.