Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole has refused to grant an exparte injunction against the Senate from recognizing Chief Godswill Akpabio as its Minority Leader.
Two members of Akpabio’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party – Alaye Pedro and Dr. Okechukwu Ibeh – had sought an order restraining the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and members of the PDP caucus from the South South in the Senate from appointing the former Akwa Ibom State governor as Senate Minority Leader.
They said the process for the emergence of Akpabil was in breach of the Senate Standing Order.
But Justice Kolawole on Wednesday in his ruling queried the locus standi of the applicants and went further to dismiss the applicants’ relief of an interim order restraining the Seraki and the Senate PDP caucus from selecting Akpabio as the Senate Minority Leader.
The judge however granted the applicants prayer of an order of substituted service of processes by publication in two national newspapers and consequently adjourned the matter to October 5, 2015 for mention.