Court grants Sowore leave to challenge his suspension as AAC chairman

A court of appeal sitting in Abuja has fixed October 19, 2021, to hear an appeal filed by Omoyele Sowore, challenging a judgment on his suspension as national chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC).

In May 2019, the AAC reportedly suspended Sowore, who was the presidential candidate of the party in the 2019 elections, as well as Malcolm Fabiyi, who was deputy national chairman.

Sowore, who is a founding member of the AAC, had alleged that some members of the party were in cahoots with ”external agents” to hijack the party.

In July 2019, a federal high court in Abuja, presided over by Inyang Ekwo, ruled against the former AAC presidential candidate.

In a statement on Thursday, Femi Adeyeye, AAC spokesman, said in an appeal marked CA/A/812//2019, Inibehe Effiong, the party’s legal adviser argued that the federal high court had no jurisdiction over the intra-party matter.

He also argued that Sowore and Fabiyi were denied fair hearing, before a decision was reached on the issue of the affidavit.

According to the statement, the appeal court, on Thursday, granted the AAC leave to challenge the judgment of the high court.

The appeal court gave Sowore 21 days to file a notice of appeal against his suspension.

The court also fixed October 19 to “hear an appeal marked CA/A/812/2019 filed by Sowore and Fabiyi against another judgment obtained by Leonard Nzenwa”.