The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a suit filed by All Progressives Congress member Fubara Dagogo. The court struck out the case that sought to void the party’s recent national congress.
Justice delivered the ruling after hearing arguments in the matter. The judge ruled that the suit lacked merit and struck it out entirely. Fubara Dagogo had challenged the APC national congress, claiming irregularities in the process that affected his aspiration for a national position.
The court awarded a N10 million fine against Fubara Dagogo and another N10 million against his lawyer. This brought the total penalty to N20 million in favour of the four defendants. The defendants included the All Progressives Congress and its key officials.
Fubara Dagogo, who aspired to contest for National Vice Chairman South-South, had earlier paid N5.1 million for nomination forms. He claimed the party cleared him but later denied him the forms. He argued that his exclusion made the South-South zonal congress and subsequent national convention invalid.
Fubara Dagogo approached the court months earlier and sought several reliefs. He prayed for an order to nullify any congress conducted without his participation. He also demanded N100 million in damages for the alleged wrongful exclusion.
The APC and other defendants filed a preliminary objection. They urged the court to dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction. The party maintained that internal party matters followed due process.
After considering all submissions, the judge agreed with the defendants. The court ended the case and imposed the cost to deter frivolous litigation. This ruling came after earlier setbacks in the hearing schedule. It closed a chapter in the legal challenge that began before the APC held its national convention.
