Justice Babatunde Adejumo, granted the request, after listening to Mr. Frank Tietie, counsel to Nzidee. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the case was instituted by one Benson Ekasa, a member of the union, on Jan. 27. In the suit, Ekasa claimed that Mohammed was making moves to remain in office as the NCSU national president beyond his retirement from the civil service. He averred that the NCSU’s constitution restricted membership of the trade union only to persons still in the employment of a state or federal civil service. Ekasa alleged that the defendant retired from the Jigawa Civil Service in January 2016, and had initiated the process of amending the union’s constitution to enable him remain in office. The claimant asked the court to stop the alleged constitutional amendment process and declare the seat of the national president vacant, among other prayers. The defendant filed a preliminary objection, saying he had retired as alleged, and sought the dismissal of Ekasa’s suit “because it is premature and incompetent’’. Mohammed, in the application dated Feb. 25, also said that the claimant did not comply with the conditions set out in the NCSU constitution to institute the case. In the motion for joinder, Nzidee aligned with the claimant that Mohammed could no longer continue as a member and national president of the NCSU. The deputy national president urged the court to declare him as the Acting National President of the union in accordance with the provisions of the NCSU Constitution. He said his joinder became necessary because all the reliefs he intended to seek were stated in the claimant’s affidavit. Counsel to the defendant, N.A. Itakwo, said he had no intention to oppose the grounds of the application after it was moved by the claimant’s counsel. Adejumo adjourned the case till May 25 to enable Nzidee to file his own processes before the court. The judge also ordered both the claimant and the defendant to serve all their processes on Nzidee.]]>