Proceedings in the Federal High Court, Sokoto, on Monday took a dramatic turn in the ongoing leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as intense legal arguments between counsel for the parties culminated in the court imposing sanctions on the 1st defendant’s legal team.
The courtroom witnessed heated exchanges after counsel representing the 1st defendant sought an adjournment, a request that was strongly opposed by the plaintiff’s lead counsel.
Barrister Salmanu Jabo, who appeared on behalf of the 1st defendant’s lead counsel, Dr. Sulaiman Usman (SAN), informed the court that his principal was unavoidably absent due to other pressing matters relating to the case. He therefore appealed for an adjournment.
Jabo explained that he was only holding brief for the senior advocate and lacked the authority to proceed with the substantive hearing.
He further argued that three pending applications had already been filed but had not been served on all the parties, making it inappropriate for the matter to continue.
According to him, proceeding with the hearing would violate the principle of fair hearing, particularly as the 4th and 5th defendants had yet to be served with the court processes.
Counsel for the 2nd and 3rd defendants, Prof. Ibrahim Abdullahi (SAN), did not oppose the application for adjournment. Instead, he urged the court to grant the request in the interest of justice and fairness.
He referred the court to Order 26, Rule 4 of the Federal High Court Rules, noting that parties served with court processes are entitled to seven days to file their responses.
However, the plaintiff’s lead counsel, Barrister Mathew Bukkaa (SAN), vehemently opposed the application. He argued that the request was incompetent and amounted to a deliberate attempt to delay the hearing.
Bukkaa maintained that he was fully prepared to proceed with the case and urged the court to dismiss the application for adjournment.
After listening to the submissions of all counsel, the presiding judge, Justice Ahmad Mahmud Gama, ruled that granting an adjournment was necessary to ensure all parties had adequate opportunity to respond, in line with the constitutional requirement of fair hearing.
The judge subsequently adjourned the matter until July 22, 2026, for continuation of hearing.
Despite granting the request, Justice Gama expressed displeasure over the circumstances surrounding the application and imposed a ₦500,000 fine on counsel to the 1st defendant, directing that the amount be paid to the court as a deterrent against similar occurrences in the future.
The court also ordered the 1st defendant’s counsel to reimburse the plaintiff’s counsel for the cost of air travel upon presentation of the relevant receipts, in addition to other related expenses incurred as a result of the adjournment.
The ruling marks another significant development in the legal battle over the leadership of the ADC in Sokoto State, with the substantive hearing now expected to continue later this month.
