•Adjourns Suit to 19, May
By Onuminya Innocent, Sokoto
The Federal High Court in Sokoto has granted accelerated hearing to suit filed by Umar Faruk, a factional chairman of African Democratic Congress in Sokoto.
Consequently the court ordered the defendant to respond within seven days after granting an ex parte motion to cut the usual 30-day window.
The move sets the stage for a fast-track hearing on May 19, 2025, as factions scramble to settle control before the 2026 primaries.
Presiding over the matter, Justice Ahmad Gamma Mahmud ruled on the application filed by Umar Faruk and three others challenging the current leadership of the ADC in Sokoto State.
The plaintiffs argued that the standard response period would push the case too close to the party’s internal election timetable, leaving no room for resolution.
With the court’s approval, the defendants must now file their response within seven days of being served.
The order compresses the legal timeline and signals that the court recognizes the urgency tied to the political calendar.
For a party already split, the ruling forces both sides to move quickly or risk being caught off guard.
The dispute centers on control of the ADC structure in Sokoto. According to the plaintiffs, they were the legitimate leaders before the party was unlawfully hijacked.
Their suit seeks to reverse what they described as an illegal takeover and restore the leadership they claim was elected through due process.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, Matthew Burkkaa SAN, told journalists after the sitting that the abridgement was necessary because of time constraints.
He explained that all party primaries are expected to conclude before the end of May 2026, and any delay in the case could disrupt that process.
“Ideally, the defendant should have 30 days to respond,” Burkkaa said. “But because of time constraint, we applied for abridgement of time.”
He added that the goal is to secure legal certainty before the 2027 general elections, when unresolved litigation could prevent the party from participating fully or deepen internal divisions.
The judge adjourned the hearing of the substantive suit to May 19, 2026 On that date, the court will move beyond procedure and examine the merits of the claim that the leadership change in Sokoto was unlawful.
For the defendants, the shortened timeline changes the nature of the contest. Instead of preparing a response at a measured pace, they must now assemble their defense quickly and address the core allegations head-on. The pressure is on to match the speed set by the court.
Legal observers say such accelerated hearings are becoming more common in politically sensitive cases.
Courts are increasingly being asked to resolve intra-party disputes early to avoid a situation where legal uncertainty blocks participation in national elections.
In Sokoto, the case has taken on significance beyond the immediate parties. It has become a test of whether the judiciary can resolve leadership conflicts before they spill into the primaries and weaken the party at the polls.
The outcome will likely influence how both factions approach candidate selection next year.
When the court reconvenes, the focus will shift from timelines to evidence. Justice Mahmud will have to decide whether the plaintiffs were unlawfully removed and whether the current leadership’s hold on the party stands on solid ground.
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