Ahead of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) billed for March 17, a Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that the former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi; Waziri Bulama and Paul Chukwuma, should be allowed to attend.
Ajimobi, Bulama and Chukwuma were recently named as national officers of the party by the National Working Committee (NWC).
Ajimobi was appointed as Deputy National Chairman; Bulami took over as Acting National Secretary while Chukwuma was named National Auditor.
Some chieftains of the party have opposed the three appointments.
Delivering ruling on Thursday in an ex parte application filed by the Lagos State Chairman of the APC, Tunde Balogun, as argued by his lawyer, Gani Bello, Justice Mohammed Liman restrained the APC and its officials from “disturbing, preventing or obstructing Waziri Bulama, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and Paul Chukwuma from carrying out their duties as acting National Secretary, acting National Deputy Chairman (South) and acting National Auditor of the APC, respectively.”
The Lagos APC Chairman, had in the application, prayed the court to compel the APC to recognise Bulama as the party’s acting National Secretary; Ajimobi as the acting National Deputy Chairman (South); and Chukwuma as the acting National Auditor of the party.
He told the court that after the three offices became vacant and were zoned to different geo-political zones, Bulama was nominated by the North-East; Ajimobi by the South-West; and Chukwuma by the South-East.
He said the nomination of Bulama was ratified at the meeting of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) held on January 14, 2020; while those of Ajimobi and Chukwuma were ratified at the NWC meeting of March 4, 2020.
“By virtue of the ratification stated above, the nominees have become members of the National Executive Council and are entitled by the constitution of the defendant (APC) to work and operate in acting capacities in their respective offices pending their swearing-in at the National Convention of the party.
“In spite of the foregoing, the defendant (APC), acting through its officials and officers, particularly, the Deputy National Secretary, has not allowed the nominees to perform their duties as members of the National Executive Council,” Balogun said.
He told the court that the APC National Executive Council could not effectively operate unless Bulama, Ajimobi and Chukwuma were allowed to perform their duties.
After listening to the applicant’s lawyer, Justice Liman granted the prayers and adjourned further hearing till March 25, 2020 to take the Motion on Notice.
