A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned a Freedom of Information (FOI) suit filed by a Port Harcourt-based journalist, Mark Lenu against the University of Port Harcourt to enable the institution regularize its court processes.
For refusing to disclose the information regarding the students’ industrial work experience scheme for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic sessions, Mark Lenu took the University of Port Harcourt to Court.
The University’s counter affidavit in response to Mark’s application for review was filed out of time alongside a motion for extension of time, against the rule of court.
Mark’s Counsel, Kingdom Chukwuezie objected to the procedure on the grounds that it offended the rules of court, practice and procedure which required the two process to be file separately as independent processes. The court agreed with Kingdom’s argument and ordered the University to go back and do the needful.
The case was adjourned to 3rd of October 2019 for hearing.
Mark’s Counsel, Kingdom Chukwuezie, at the last adjourned date, had prayed the Court for a short adjournment to enable him respond to the counter affidavit of the University of Port Harcourt and the Vice Chancellor of the Institution, which he said he was still working on. The Court thereafter adjourned the hearing of the applications to June 27, 2019.
The suit is litigated under Media Rights Agenda’s Project funded by Open Society Initiatives for West Africa.
