There seems to be no end to litigation in the political terrain of Rivers State as a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, National Working Committee (NWC), and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in
There seems to be no end to litigation in the political terrain of Rivers State as a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, National Working Committee (NWC), and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in the state.
Also, the court restrained them from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local governments, and ward levels who are believed to be pro-Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, in Rivers.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee led by Mr. Aaron Chukwuemeka and his counterparts at the local governments and ward levels.
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 ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive Committees at the State, local governments, and the wards be truncated by the defendants.
Besides, the judge 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 7 and August 31, 2024.
Plaintiffs in the ex-parte application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, are Mr. Aaron Chukwuemeka, Mr. Oye Fubara Igenewari, and Mr. ThankGod Bekee, who sued on behalf of themselves and State, and local governments and ward executive committees respectfully.
The defendants are PDP, Alhaji Umar Damagun, Mr. Samuel Anyanwu, Mr. Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC, and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of Governors Forum as 1st to 9th defendants.
In the ex-parte motion argued on their behalf by Dr. Joshua Musa, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the legally constituted state, local governments, and wards executives’ committees of PDP in Rivers State.
They also alleged that the defendants including 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.
Plaintiffs asserted that unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful acts, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or recognizing any other person or groups other than those elected at the state, local governments, and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the judge has 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 instituted by the plaintiffs against the nine defendants has been fixed for October 4, 2024.
