New PDP vs Tukur: Court stalls hearing

THE suit filed by the New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje, seeking to stop Alhaji Bamanga Tukur from parading himself as national chairman of the party was stalled on Tuesday, at the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja.

The setback suffered by the matter at the resumed hearing on Tuesday, was due to the fact that the case file has been returned to the office of the Chief Judge of  Lagos, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, by the trial judge, Justice Ganiyu Safari.

Although, all parties were present att the resumed trial on Tuesday, the suit failed to proceed as scheduled, in view of the fact that the case file had been returned to the office of the Chief Judge.

Justice Safari handled the matter as a vacation judge and has to return the file as the annual vacation of the Lagos judiciary was over.

Justice Phillips, being the Chief Judge, is the person saddled with the responsibility of assigning the matter to a new and substantive judge.

On Tuesday afternoon, however, Justice Phillips reassigned the matter to a new judge, Justice Oludotun Adefowope-Okojie.

Now, Justice Adefowope-Okogie will be the one responsible for the matter and will be the one to fix a new date for the hearing of the matter.

At the last hearing of the matter, the Alhaji Baraje-led  PDP had failed in its bid to get the court to order the police reopen its Abuja National Secretariat which was sealed up. - Nigerian Tribune