For the second time, the Supreme cCourt on Thursday shifted hearing in the four Appeals on the rivers state APC primary election for nomination of candidates for the 2019 general election to Monday April 8 and Thursday April 11 for hearing.
The Apex Court adjourned hearing in the matters for various reasons but mainly the absence of counsel to INEC who was said to have missed his flight from Portharcourt.
The Appeals are those of Senator Magnus Abbe against INEC and others, Tonye Cole against Senator Abbe, the All Progressive Congress (APC) against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the last one by the applicants seeking consolidation of all the pending Appeals.
Senator Abbe in his appeal is praying the apex court to make a pronouncement on the authenticity of the direct and indirect primaries election of the APC in River State for the nomination of candidates.
The appellant specifically wants the court to determine which of the two appeals is known to law and should be recognized by INEC.
However, when the matter came up, counsel to Senator Abbe, Barr Henry Bello informed the apex court of his motion seeking to amend his appeal.
The matter was stalled as a result of the absence of the INEC counsel which is the first respondent.
Although, Bello sought an order to stand down the matter to enable the counsel who was said to be airborne arrive, the Acting CJN who presided over the panel, ruled that the apex court does not stand down matters for anybody or group.
This prompted the acting CJN to adjourn the matter to Monday April 8.
In the two other appeals by Mr Cole, a factional governorship candidate of the APC and, Justice Mohammad shifted hearing in the matters to April 11 to enable parties file and exchange necessary processes.
The acting CJN who led the seven-man panel of the apex court also abridged time for the parties to file and exchange papers because the matters are time bound, being pre-election matters.
However, in a fourth appeal by the APC seeking a consolidation of all existing appeals relating to the primary elections, the court adjourned the matter indefinitely for the party to regularize their processes.
