Court strikes out suit seeking to remove Issa-Onilu as APC spokesman

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court has struck out a suit challenging the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to appoint Lanre Issa-Onilu as its national publicity secretary.

The action was filed by Abubakar Usman, a blogger.

In the party’s elective convention held last June, Bolaji Abdullahi was declared APC spokesman having polled 2002 votes to defeat Usman, his closest opponent who secured 243 votes.

However in August, Abdullahi resigned from the position and defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pursue a governorship bid.

Yekini Nabena, deputy national publicity secretary, acted in his place for months  before the party finally appointed Issa-Onilu as its substantive spokesman.

Not satisfied with the development, Usman asked the court to declare him spokesman.

He argued that his prayer should be based on the fact that he came second at the convention.

Issa-Onilu through Dayo Akinlaja, his lawyer, raised a preliminary objection to the suit.

At the court on Thursday, M. B Idris, the judge, upheld the preliminary objection of Issa-Onilu.

Idris said Usman did not follow the required steps that would have made his action “valid.”

The judge then struck out the suit.