The Court of Appeal, operating in Makurdi, made a decisive move on Wednesday by dismissing the appeal submitted by Dr. Benjamin Omale, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State. This action came after events made the case irrelevant for judicial review.
The appeal, identified as CA/MKD/1199/2024, was originally lodged by Dr. Omale to contest a previous court ruling that favored Mr. Augustine Agada as the legitimate state chairman of the APC in Benue.
While the appeal was still under consideration, a major shift occurred. Mr. Agada’s term ended, prompting a fresh state congress for the APC in Benue, which resulted in Dr. Omale being elected as the new substantive chairman.
Given this turn of events, Dr. Omale requested to withdraw his appeal, arguing that the core issue had become moot and no longer required a legal resolution.
In a unanimous ruling, the appellate court granted his request and struck out the case, concluding that there was no longer a live controversy to address. The court also decided that each party would cover their own legal costs.
This verdict effectively concludes the appellate process stemming from the earlier leadership disputes within the Benue APC.
Commenting on the outcome, Terfa Jirgba, a senior lawyer and APC chieftain in Benue, stated that the decision was a natural end to an academic matter, emphasizing that the expiration of Mr. Agada’s tenure made further legal action pointless. He stressed that courts should not be overwhelmed by cases that have already been resolved by events, and that the panel acted properly by dismissing the appeal.
It is worth noting that the internal conflict originated from disagreements over the legitimacy of the state executive committee, which led to multiple legal battles.