Wole Ayodele in Jalingo
The Court of Appeal, Yola Division in Adamawa State has granted a stay of execution of the order of the Federal High Court in Jalingo disqualifying the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, Alhaji Sani Abubakar Danladi, from contesting next Saturday’s election.
The court, presided over by Justice Chidi Uwa, also ordered all the parties involved in the case to maintain status quo ante pending the determination of the motion on notice filed before it by Danladi.
Danladi and the APC are the appellants in the suit while Usman Udi, Joshua Paaku, George Geoffrey, Tanko Muslim Munkaila and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents respectively.
The Federal High Court in Jalingo presided over by Justice Stephen Pam had disqualified Danladi from contesting next Saturday’s gubernatorial election in the state on the ground of giving false information in his particulars to INEC.
The Federal High Court also restrained INEC and APC from recognising, accepting or treating Danladi as the candidate of APC in the governorship election.
Justice Pam equally prohibited Danladi from parading himself as the candidate of APC in the governorship election for Taraba State slated for March 9, 2019, or any other subsequent date to be slated.
But setting aside the ruling of the High Court, Justice Uwa ordered: “The parties are to maintain the status quo ante bellum and are to stay all actions and steps towards the execution of the judgement of the Federal High Court delivered in suit FHC/JAL/CS/1/2019 delivered on 6/3/2019.
That an interim order of injunction is hereby ordered restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents from taking any step (s) towards the execution of the judgement/orders of the Federal High Court in Jalingo in suit no FHC/JAL/CS/1/2019 pending the determination of the Motion on Notice filed by the applicants on March 7, 2019, and dated March 6, 2019.”
Meanwhile, Justice Uwa has adjourned the Motion on Notice to April 9 for hearing.
