By Olufemi Olayinka

A Federal High court sitting in Abuja on Monday adjourned the case between the registered incorporated trustees of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, chairman, board of trustees of ALGON, Kassim Ibraihim and Cornelius Nnaji, who are the plaintiffs/ applicants and Nwabueze Okafor, Ibraihim Dikko and Bamayi Yakmut, the defendants.

The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Abdu-Kafarati adjourned the case to November 20 for hearing, asking all the parties involved to maintain status-quo – that the defendants should stop parading themselves as members of the Board of Trustees of ALGON.

Justice Abdu-Kafarati in his ruling on March 28, 2014 had said that only the Cooperate Affairs Commission, CAC, registered board of trustees led by Kassim Ibraihim or a duly elected executive of serving local government chairmen is the only body currently recognized by law to run the affairs of ALGON.

The plaintiffs had filed a motion ex-parte, asking the court to grant them an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from parading themselves as officers of ALGON, from taking steps to declare any office of association vacant or recall for the purchase of forms for any elective office of ALGON.

Speaking with newsmen after the adjournment, he chairman of ALGON, Plateau state chapter, Emmanuel Loman, said all the members wanted the court to do for them was to stop Okafor, one of the defendants from parading himself as the national chairman of association.

“You must be a serving chairman of a local government before you can be the national president of ALGON, or to occupy any position at the state or national level of the association. Okafor is not a serving chairman so he cannot parade himself as the national president of ALGON”. Loman said.

He however urged members of ALGON to be patient, saying that soon election will hold to elect substantive leaders of the association.

Also speaking to newsmen’s after the adjournment, Ibraihim stated that they were in court to justify the rule of law and to ensure that the ruling of the court on the case before it is strictly adhere to.

“We believe that whatever is said in the court of law should be adhered to. Some people are flouting the law. A judgment has been given since March 28 against a group claiming to have status and they don’t,” Ibraihin said.