by crossriverwatch admin
The legal battle challenging the decision to exclude the All Progressives Congress, APC by the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, CROSIEC, to participate in the Local Government Elections in Cross River State scheduled for September 21, 2013 continued in the High Court, Calabar today.
At the hearing, the reply of CROSIEC to the Motion filed by APC to restrain CROSIEC from conducting the elections on Saturday the 21st September 2013 which was scheduled for today was stalled because the legal team of CROSIEC led by Mr. Attah Ochinke , Attorney General of Cross River State filed a Notice of Preliminary Objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the suit.
However the legal team of APC comprising Barristers Matthew Ojua; Okoi Obono-Obla, Osim, Laz Izeba, Nsa Ekpo, Okoi James, Dibang urged the Court to issue an interim order of injunction restraining CROSIEC from conducting the election until the hearing of the Motion filed by APC for Interlocutory Injunction.
The legal Counsel to CROSIEC, Mr. Attah urged the Court to discountenance the application of APC on the ground that since CROSIEC has challenged the jurisdiction of the Court the Court must first resolved whether or not it has jurisdiction before any order can be made.
In its ruling, the Presiding Judge, Honorable Justice Ofem Ikpi Ofem held that he will first take the Notice of Preliminary Objection filed by CROSIEC.
The Court ordered APC to file its reply to the Notice of Preliminary Objection and serve CROSIEC today and subsequently adjourned the matter to tomorrow, 17th September 2013 for argument of the Notice of Preliminary Objection.
The lead Counsel of APC, Matthew Ojua had earlier described the Notice of Preliminary Objection as a smokescreen calculated to delay the matter and said he was ready to reply to it orally.
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