A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo has finally issued an order for substituted service on the Taraba state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress ,APC, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa.
The substituted service was carried out on Friday by court bailiffs, who pasted the court summons on the wall of the party’s state secretariat located along Barde Way in Jalingo metropolis.
The action followed an earlier ruling delivered last Thursday by the court, granting permission for the process after alleged repeated refusal by the APC chairman to accept court documents.
According to sources at the court, the decision to adopt substituted service became necessary after efforts to serve the chairman personally proved unsuccessful.
Reacting to the development, the party, through its State Publicity Secretary, Aaron Artimas, dismissed reports suggesting that the APC secretariat in Taraba state had been sealed following a lawsuit by an aggrieved party member.
Artimas described the claims as “vexatious, misleading, and naive,” insisting that no court order has been issued to warrant the closure of the secretariat. He maintained that the court has yet to sit on the matter.
Court bailiffs involved in the service process stated that they were unable to meet any official at the premises, prompting them to paste the summons in line with the court’s directive.
The APC spokesperson further emphasized that the party’s secretariat remains open and operational, noting that while the party is subject to legal proceedings, no office can be shut down without due process, including a formal hearing and court order.
He urged party members and the public to disregard what he described as deliberate misinformation intended to mislead supporters and create confusion within the party.
