1 week ago
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The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, restrained the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, the party’s National Working Committee as well as the PDP Board of Trustees from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in Rivers State.
The court also stopped the defendants from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local governments and ward levels who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering a ruling on an ex parte application brought before the court by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee, led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, and his counterparts at the local governments and ward levels.
The plaintiffs, in the ex parte application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, are Chukwuemeka, Oye Igenewari and ThankGod Bekee, who sued on behalf of themselves and state, local governments and ward executive committees of the Rivers PDP.
Listed as defendants are the PDP, its acting Chairman, Umar Damagum, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BoT, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of the Governors’ Forum.
In the ex parte motion argued on their behalf by Dr Joshua Musa (SAN), the plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the legally constituted state, local governments and wards executives committees of the Rivers State PDP.
They also alleged that the defendants and the PDP governors were attempting to put in place interim committees to replace them, to perform the duties and functions of the state, local governments and wards executives committees of the PDP in Rivers State.
The plaintiffs said unless the defendants were restrained from carrying out the unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.
In his ruling, after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs, Justice Lifu gave an order restraining INEC from accepting or recognising any other person or groups other than those elected at the state, local governments and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.
Justice Lifu also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local governments and ward leadership of the PDP in Rivers State, who were said to have been elected along with the State Executive Committee this year at various congresses of the party.
In an enrolled order, the court ordered that on no grounds shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive Committees at the state, local governments and the wards be truncated by the defendants.
Justice Lifu also ordered that the defendants must not in any way allow or permit any other group or persons to perform the duties and functions of the PDP State, local governments and ward officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.
The judge also ordered the plaintiffs to file a fresh undertaking to indemnify all the defendants in case it is discovered that the restraining orders issued against the defendants ought not to have been granted.
Hearing in the motion on notice was subsequently fixed for October 4, 2024.
Wednesday’s order comes on the heels of the face-off between Wike and the PDP Governors’ Forum, chaired by the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on the leadership of the PDP in Rivers State.
The PDP governors had demanded the nullification of the ward, LGA and state congresses that handed the party’s control to Wike, rather than the incumbent Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The PDP governors have insisted that as the sitting governor, Fubara, rather than Wike, should be the leader of the PDP in Rivers State.
Seven of the 13 PDP governors are also pushing for the removal of the PDP acting National Chairman, Damagum, who is loyal to Wike.
