The presiding judge of the High Court sitting in Makurdi Justice Kpochi on Monday, stepped down in the hearing of the suit seeking to remove the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
Prior to this development, he adjourned further hearing of the suit to April 28, 2023 and handed over the case file to the Chief Judge of Benue State to reassign it to another judge as he would be embarking on a national assignment at the election petitions tribunal.
This is after Counsel to Senator Ayu, J.J Usman, SAN, told the court that he was withdrawing Ayu’s preliminary objection and counter affidavit to the suit he filed on April 3rd, 2023.
The lead counsel to Utaan, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, did not object to the application for the withdrawal of the two processes but asked the court to award cost against Ayu, insisting that the plaintiff was prepared for hearing of the substantive suit.
Ukala, SAN told the court that the defendants only served him fresh processes while in court and he would have to respond to it.
Justice Kpochi, in his response, adjourned the case to April, 28, 2023 for hearing of the substantive suit.
It will be recalled that Justice Kpochi had in March 27th 2023 issued an interim order restraining Senator Iyorchia Ayu from parading himself as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party pending the hearing and determination of the Suit No.MHC/85/2023, filed by a member of the party, Conrad Utaan, seeking to remove Ayu as National Chairman of the party
