Appeal Court orders Enugu CJ to fast-track APC’s council poll suit

The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu has ordered the Chief Judge
of Enugu State to accelerate the hearing and determination of a
suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the
legality of local government caretaker committees in the state.

The appellate court gave the order yesterday on the appeal filed
by APC challenging the ruling of an Enugu State High Court, which
struck out names of Ikeje Asogwa, a former Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the PDP from a suit challenging the
caretaker committees.

APC had appealed the ruling of Justice Romanus Odugu of Enugu
State High Court on the grounds that if the names of Asogwa and the
PDP, the beneficiaries of the caretaker committee, were removed,
there would be nobody to be sued.

Delivering judgment, the three-man panel of the Appeal Court,
comprising Justices Ignatius Agube, Joseph Tur and A. Femi, held
that the State High Court committed a miscarriage of justice by
striking out the names of respondents in the suit before it.

The justices said the ruling of the lower court was wrong and it
aside the ruling.

The court ordered that the case file be remitted to the Chief
Judge to determine the legality of the caretaker committees on the
originating summons filed.

Following the expiration of the tenure of elected council
chairmen on January 5, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi constituted a
two-man caretaker committee to run the affairs of the 17 local
government areas, pending the conduct of local government
elections.

In the motion on notice before the State High Court, the APC
members were seeking an order to set aside the appointment of the
caretaker committees.

They insisted that the appointments contravened the Constitution
and should be upturned while council elections should be conducted
forthwith.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu has ordered the Chief Judge
of Enugu State to accelerate the hearing and determination of a
suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the
legality of local government caretaker committees in the
state.

The appellate court gave the order yesterday on the appeal filed
by APC challenging the ruling of an Enugu State High Court, which
struck out names of Ikeje Asogwa, a former Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the PDP from a suit challenging the
caretaker committees.

APC had appealed the ruling of Justice Romanus Odugu of Enugu
State High Court on the grounds that if the names of Asogwa and the
PDP, the beneficiaries of the caretaker committee, were removed,
there would be nobody to be sued.

Delivering judgment, the three-man panel of the Appeal Court,
comprising Justices Ignatius Agube, Joseph Tur and A. Femi, held
that the State High Court committed a miscarriage of justice by
striking out the names of respondents in the suit before it.

The justices said the ruling of the lower court was wrong and it
aside the ruling.

The court ordered that the case file be remitted to the Chief
Judge to determine the legality of the caretaker committees on the
originating summons filed.

Following the expiration of the tenure of elected council
chairmen on January 5, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi constituted a
two-man caretaker committee to run the affairs of the 17 local
government areas, pending the conduct of local government
elections.

In the motion on notice before the State High Court, the APC
members were seeking an order to set aside the appointment of the
caretaker committees.

They insisted that the appointments contravened the Constitution
and should be upturned while council elections should be conducted
forthwith.