Oyo 2019: Court to hear Onigbinde’s suit against AD November 1

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday adjourned hearing in the suit filed by an Alliance for Democracy (AD) gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Dr. Akin Onigbinde (SAN) challenging the appointment of a caretaker committee for the party in the state.

Onigbinde, an indigene of Ogbomoso and former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, in the suit, emphasized that the appointment of the caretaker committee to steer the affairs of the party in the state was “illegal and unknown to the AD constitution”.
DAILY POST recalls that Onigbinde was one of the two gubernatorial candidates of the party that emerged at parallel gubernatorial primaries held at two separate locations in Ibadan, the state capital in September this year.

The former Speaker emerged as candidate of the party at the primary election conducted by the AD executive in the state, while an Ibadan-born Engineer, Mr. Hakeem Alao Oyedele emerged at the primary election conducted by the caretaker committee of the party in the state.
But, at the mentioning of the suit, Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo ordered the parties to file some processes, that will make the case ripe for hearing on 1st November, which is the next date fixed by court to hear the matter.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Tunde Falola said the court had to adjourn the suit, to ensure that necessary applications were duly filed and give room for the parties involved to respond to same.

Falola said, “The reason for the adjournment is at the instance of the plaintiff, we have filed some applications, which the court expects written responses”.
He added that the court has given all the parties time to file and serve other counsels before the next date of adjournment., saying, “as counsel to the plaintiffs, we also have a duty to refile our processes, ahead of arguments on the next adjourned date”.
However, counsel to the defendant, Barrister Sayo Odumosu said the court was doing its best to hear the matter and give it accelerated hearing.
Odumosu said, “We have done all the court processes, we have done the needful and will respond to the plaintiff’s applications before the next hearing date”.