The Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, yesterday granted an order for substituted service on the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Bawa.

The order followed the alleged failure of the APC chairman to accept court processes in a suit challenging the outcome of the party’s recent state chairmanship primary.

According to information gathered, one of the aspirants in the exercise, Alhaji Abdulhadi Lau, had approached the court, accusing the party leadership and its chairman of irregularities during the primary election.

Lau argued that the process did not provide a level playing field for all contestants, prompting his decision to seek judicial intervention.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, counsel to the plaintiff, Pius D. Pius, explained that the matter was initially slated for hearing but could not proceed due to difficulties in serving the defendant.

“The case was supposed to come up today, but we discovered that the APC chairman had not been served with the court processes. We therefore applied for substituted service, and the court has granted an order permitting the originating processes to be pasted at the APC secretariat,” he said.

Pius added that repeated attempts to personally serve the chairman had been unsuccessful, alleging that he had consistently evaded service.

“We have made several efforts to serve him, but he has been unavailable. The court, having considered this, granted the order for substituted service,” he stated.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter to June 8, 2026, for further proceedings.

The development, as observed by The Guardian, marks a new phase in the legal dispute, as the court moves to ensure that all parties are duly notified and the case proceeds without further delay.