By Usman Aliyu
An Edo High Court sitting in Benin, on Friday dismissed a suit questioning the emergence and tenure of Lawrence Okah as the Secretary, Edo chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The presiding judge, Justice Mary Asemota dismissed the case slated for the ruling on a preliminary objection, after the counsel to the claimant, Ifeoma Okpara had informed the court that claimant filed a notice of the discontinuance of the case.
The suit, marked No. B/228/26, was instituted by Comrade Curtis Ugbo against the APC, its National Working Committee (NWC), and Lawrence Okah, seeking judicial intervention over the party’s internal leadership structure in the state.
Okah had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case and the proceedings was adjourned to May 22.
At the resumed proceeding, Okpara informed the court that the party had met and that she had the authority of the claimant to discontinue the case.
She said they had filed a notice seeking the leave of court to discontinue the case on May 7, predicating the notice of discontinuance on order 23 rule one of the Edo State High Court rule.
The counsel to defendant, Mr Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, leading 17 other lawyers, didn’t opposed the notice of discontinuance but seek for N2 million as cost.
The presiding judge, therefore dismmisssd the case following the notice of discontinuance by the claimant and awarded N100,000 as cost against the claimant.
Reacting to the dismissal, the Defendant, Lawrence Okah, commended the court for dismissing the case.
“Some group of person who felt threatened by my presence as APC secretary decided to cause some disruption but the vourt in its wisdom dismissed the case and awarded cost, ” he said.
Responding, one of the counsels to the defendants, Douglass Ogbankwa, said the claimant, having seen that defeat was imminent decided to file a notice of discontinuance of the case.
He alleged that the claimant was trying to avoid the N10 million penalty provided for him and his counsel for bringing the suit pertaining to the internal affair of a political party to court as stated under the Electoral Act.
Also responding, the counsel to the claimant, Okpara, said the discontinuance was as a result of the intervention of party’s leaders, elders and stakeholders, who she said had reconciled the parties. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)