A Federal High Court in Jalingo has fixed April 29, 2026, for the hearing of a case challenging the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) state congress in Taraba State.
The suit was filed by a chairmanship aspirant, Abdulhadi Haruna Lau, who claims he was unfairly excluded from the process that led to the emergence of a consensus candidate during the party’s recent congress.
Lau, who is taking the APC to court over the matter, rejected suggestions that he stepped down for any candidate. He insisted that the entire process that produced the party’s state chairman lacked transparency and fairness.
He also alleged that committees responsible for overseeing the congress did not properly engage with all aspirants before the exercise was conducted.
“The congress was conducted without my knowledge because I did not see the election committee and the appeal committee. If they were on the ground, they ought to have met with all the contestants before the congress, but that did not happen,” he stated.
According to him, officials assigned to supervise the congress were sidelined, with claims that the committees were effectively taken over and prevented from interacting with some aspirants, including himself.
Presenting evidence of his purchased nomination form, Lau expressed frustration over what he described as the party leadership’s failure to explain why he and his supporters were excluded from the caucus meeting that produced the consensus candidate.
“I did not step down for anybody. I bought my form and was prepared to contest, but the process was not transparent,” he insisted.
He added that he had earlier lodged a formal petition regarding the process before heading to court, noting that the alleged irregularities left him with no other option but to seek legal redress.
The case, marked FHC/JAL/CS/5/2026, involves Abdulhadi Haruna and two others. It was mentioned on Friday before Justice Mashkur Salisu, who adjourned proceedings until April 29, 2026, for hearing.
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