The court subsequently adjourned the substantive matter to June 27, 2024 for definite hearing, in suit numbered MHC/449/2024.
Justice J. M. Shishi of the Benue State High Court in Makurdi on Thursday declined an application for accelerated hearing in the suit Comrade Sesugh Akume filed against the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) seeking to compel the commission to conduct council election before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent council chairpersons.
The court subsequently adjourned the substantive matter to June 27, 2024 for definite hearing, in suit numbered MHC/449/2024.
A statement by the Plaintiff (Akume) on Thursday, shortly after the court session, said that BSIEC had replied to the court processes served on them.
Regarding the suit, he said they asked the "court to compel BSIEC to conduct local government elections on time ready for the incoming administrations to be sworn in on 29 June when the term of the current officials ends.
"Upon filing the action on 13 March, BSIEC released a timetable dated 5 April wherein it scheduled the elections for 6 July, a week after the handover date, which is an abnormality and unconstitutional.
"It is noteworthy that today was the very first time the matter was heard since it was filed on 13 March along with an application for accelerated hearing due to the nature of the case."
Akume also noted that their second case between Sesugh Akume and Governor of Benue & 4 Others (with suit numbered MHC/346/2023), before the Honourable Mr Justice P. T. Kwahar also of the High Court of Benue in Makurdi, was not heard and had been adjourned with no date given.
He said, "The officials stated that the courtroom is being used by a commission of inquiry and all cases before that court have been placed on hold indefinitely.
"The officials had stated that the court could not sit on last adjourned date 8 May (the date set at the court’s last sitting on 26 March) because the courtroom was undergoing renovation."
He, however, noted that the suit sought an order of the court to sack the "illegal, unconstitutional caretaker committees; and to declare, nullify and expunge from the Local Government Law any provision that makes room for suspending elected local government councils and/or appointing unelected local government councils, as all such provisions are now outdated having been declared invalid by the Supreme Court; to declare that sacking elected local government councils is a coup d’etat, among others".
"We look forward to promptly replying to the BSIEC processes and serving them, as we await 27 June. We keep the faith and remain steadfast, waiting for the date set for the local government abuse case," the statement reads.