Benue Court extends restraining order against APC’s leadership change

A Benue State High Court in Makurdi has extended its restraining order against the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), preventing the removal of Austin Agada as the party’s chairman in Benue State.

On August 21, 2024, the court initially granted an interim injunction halting the dissolution of the Benue State Working Committee (SWC) and set August 28, 2024, for a hearing on the motion for an interlocutory injunction.

When the case was revisited on Wednesday, APC’s counsel, Yahaya Dangana SAN, with a team of seven lawyers and the State Attorney General, argued that they were still within their timeframe to respond to the filed processes and presented a preliminary objection.

Dangana contended that no further court actions should proceed until this objection was addressed. However, M.T. Alyebo, representing Agada and other applicants, countered that the preliminary objection should not impede the court’s authority to maintain the status quo. Alyebo requested the extension of the interim order granted earlier.

Despite Dangana’s attempts to block the extension, Alyebo’s arguments were convincing, leading Justice Igoche to extend the restraining order for an additional seven days.

The court clarified that the injunction was issued and served in the morning, while the dissolution occurred later in the evening, dismissing any claims that the order was served after the dissolution had taken place.