The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday struck out an appeal filed by the Senator Abubakar Gada-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State for lack of territorial jurisdiction.
An FCT High Court had earlier declined an application by a faction of the APC in Sokoto State loyal to a former governor of the state, Aliyu Wamakko, to set aside its earlier judgement over the disputed congresses in the state.
The Wamakko group however appealed the FCT High Court judgement.
The appeal was brought by the party’s state chairman, Isa Sadiq Acida.
Earlier, Acida had asked a High Court in Sokoto to restrain APC from recognising Mainasara Abubakar Sani and others as officers and delegates of the ward, LG and state congresses of the party which were held on October 13, September 14 and October 16, 2021 respectively.
Delivering ruling on the appeal by the Gada’s group, the member panel of Justices, H.S Tsammani, B.A. Georgewill and D.S Senchi unanimously submitted that the FCT High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction and struck out the appeal.
The judges frowned at the trend of forum shopping by legal counsels and warned them to desist from dragging the courts into ignoble practices.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the court judgement counsel to Hon. Isa Sadik Acida, Chairman of APC in Sokoto state, Dr.Hassan Liman (SAN), said, “we will make sure that NBA handles the matter of forum shopping, to ensure that it does not happen again”.
There has been an ongoing battle for the soul of Sokoto APC between Senator Aliyu Wamakko and Abubakar Gada.