A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, has granted an order for substituted service on Abubakar Bawa, the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in an ongoing legal dispute over the party’s recent chairmanship primary.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, came after the court was informed that efforts to serve the defendant with court processes had repeatedly failed.
The suit was filed by Abdulhadi Lau, one of the aspirants in the primary election, who is challenging the conduct of the exercise. Lau alleged that the process was marred by irregularities and did not provide a fair and equal platform for all contestants.
Speaking to journalists after the court session, counsel to the plaintiff, Pius D. Pius, explained that the matter could not proceed as initially scheduled due to the inability to serve the defendant with the necessary legal documents.
He said the plaintiff subsequently applied for substituted service, which allows court processes to be served through alternative means when personal service proves unsuccessful.
According to him, the court granted the application and directed that the originating processes be pasted at the APC secretariat as a valid form of notification.
Pius further alleged that several attempts had been made to personally serve the APC chairman, but these efforts were unsuccessful, claiming that the defendant had consistently avoided receiving the documents.
Following the ruling, the court adjourned the case to June 8, 2026, for further proceedings.
