A Plateau State High Court in Jos has pushed the next hearing in the appeal regarding Hausa indigeneship in Jos North to October 29, 2026. Justice C. Donglong announced the date this past Friday following a debate over the legitimacy of a new legal team representing the respondents.
This appeal challenges a June 9, 2026, court ruling that granted Hausa individuals born and raised in Jos North the right to be considered indigenes. The underlying legal dispute began when Fatima Baba Akawu and her father, Baba Alhaji Akawu, sued the Jos North Local Government Council for failing to grant Fatima an indigene certificate. The plaintiffs argued that Fatima, being born in the region to a father who previously served in the 1983 House of Representatives, is entitled to the document. They asserted that the council’s refusal was discriminatory, citing constitutional violations and international human rights agreements, specifically highlighting that the council had issued a similar certificate to another resident, Dung Bot, on the same day.
During the recent hearing, Garba Pwul, SAN, representing the Jos North Local Government Council, raised a preliminary objection. He argued that the respondents’ new legal team had not followed court regulations for a formal change of counsel. Yakubu H., SAN, representing the respondents, countered by stating that litigants possess a constitutional right to choose their own legal representation and noted that the original judgment favored his clients.
Justice Donglong will issue a ruling on the objection regarding the legal team before moving forward with arguments intended to overturn the June 9 decision.
