MAKURDI – A Benue State High Court, sitting in Makurdi, presided over by Justice John Shishi, has adjourned the suit instituted to suspend the State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bemgba Iortyom, to 10th October, 2024.

DAILY INDEPENDENT gathered that with the adjournment of the suit, the case has become otiose, in view of the fact that Iortyom would have completed his tenure as the PDP spokesman in Benue by the 31st of August, 2024.

Terese Achir had filed a motion before the High Court, seeking the suspension of Iortyom from office as the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, over the alleged suspension of the party spokesman by some persons who claimed to be officials of the PDP in Mbagba council ward of Ushongo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

When the matter came up on June 20th, 2024, Counsel to Achir, C.N Agugu, had told the court that ordinarily, the matter was fixed for hearing, but that they were only able to serve the defendant the previous day, and since he was entitled to fair hearing, he wouldn’t be opposed to his counsel being given more time to file his response.

Counsel to Chief Iortyom, who is also the Legal Adviser of the PDP in Benue State, Clement Mue, aligned with the submission of Agugu, even as he expressed intention to vehemently oppose the motion.

Therefore, the presiding Judge, Justice John Shishi, adjourned the matter to July 11th, 2024, for hearing of the motion, but on the adjourned date the court did not sit and October 10th, 2024, was eventually picked by counsel to both parties for the hearing.

However, the tenure of Bemgba Iortyom as spokesman of the PDP in the state elapses on August 31st, 2024, rendering the suit seeking to unseat him otiose and a mere academic exercise.