Ribadu vs Binani: Court adjourns suit to July 20

A Federal High Court in Yola, Adamawa State, has adjourned the suit of a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, seeking to disqualify the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, to July 20, 2022.

Ribadu is seeking the nullification of the primary conducted on May 27, which was won by Senator Binani.

The former EFCC boss, who hinged his suit on alleged votes buying, over-voting and delegate inducement, wants the court to disqualify Binani and declare him the candidate of the APC in the state.

He sought an order restraining APC from submitting Binani’s name to INEC as the governorship candidate of APC on grounds that she had emerged from an invalid and unlawful exercise.

In his response to APC and Binani’s notice of preliminary objections, Ribadu’s counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the notice of preliminary objections.

He further submitted that the commencement of the suit marked FHC/ YL/CS/12/2022, was done by the rules of the court.

But in their separate replies to the motion on notice filed by Ribadu, APC and Binani through their counsels, Sule J. Abul and Sam Ologunorisa, filed a notice of preliminary objections and counter-affidavits.

While APC is challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter, Binani in her preliminary objection argued that Ribadu’s suit was not properly constituted.

She described the suit as incompetent, contentious, rancorous and contained allegations of fraud, commission of a crime, and that it cannot be heard or determined by way of the originating summons.

After counsels’ submissions, the court presided by Hon. Justice A. M. Anka, adjourned the case to July 20, 2022 for hearing in a substantive suit and pending applications.