On October 31, 2022, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt will continue with the adoption of a written address by Tuduru Edeh SAN, counsel to the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, in a suit filed by the People’s Democratic Party against the APC and its governorship candidate, Patrick Tonye Cole, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The PDP has asked INEC to dismiss Tonye-Cole of the APC, arguing that the delegates who voted in the candidate’s primary election were not democratically elected.
When the case began on Wednesday, APC’s attorney made a preliminary challenge to the court’s authority to hear the case.
He continued to argue and adopt his motion while the PDP’s counsel, Emmanuel Ukala SAN, raised what the court described as a “unreported case” that required a response from the defendants.
Edeh then sought the court for a date to respond to the plaintiff’s “unreported case,” which was granted by the presiding judge, Justice E. A Obile.
The judge then continued the adoption of a written address by the defence counsel until October 31, 2022.
Justice Obile also postponed the adoption of addresses in two separate suits filed by the APC against the PDP’s governorship candidate, Siminalaye Fubara, and other state and National Assembly candidates, until October 25, 2022.
After counsel for INEC, Ledum Mitee, sought for an extension of time to submit and serve a memorandum of appearance, counter affidavit, and written addresses to the plaintiff, which was not objected to by counsel for the plaintiff and second defendant, the judge granted the adjustment.
