A Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed September 15 for hearing of a suit seeking an order compelling Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting Bola Tinubu as All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidates for the 2023 presidential election.
Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter after counsel for the plaintiffs, Kingdom Okere, moved his motion for an extension of time to regularise their amended originating summons dated July 29 and filed August 9.
The application, which was not opposed by counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC), A.S. Ajikobi, and lawyer to Atiku, A A. Badmus, was granted by the judge.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were not represented in court by counsel.
Justice Ekwo, who adjourned the matter to September 15, ordered that hearing notices be issued to 2nd, 3rd and 6th defendants.
The plaintiffs; Incorporated Trustees of Rights for All International (RAI) and Northern Nigerian Youth Democrats (NNYD), had sued the APC, PDP, Tinubu, Atiku, AGF and INEC as 1st to 6th defendants respectively.
It would be recalled that the court had, on June 28, declined to grant the ex-parte motion filed by the plaintiffs seeking an order compelling INEC not to recognise Tinubu and Atiku as APC and PDP candidates for the 2023 respectively.
Ekwo, in a ruling, rather ordered the plaintiffs to put all the defendants on notice.
