Court restrains PDP governors, others from sacking pro-Wike excos in Rivers

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees ( BoT) from dissolving tampering the party”s executive committee in Rivers State.

The judge issued the restraining order while ruling in an ex-parte application filed by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee led by Aaron Chukwuemeka and his counterparts at the local governments and ward levels.

The court also stopped the 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 (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

PDP, its acting national chairman, Umar Damagun, the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, the National Executive Committee (NEC), BoT, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, were listed as respondents in the suit.

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 PDP in Rivers State.

Also, they 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.

READ ALSO: Court throws out suit seeking replacement of pro-Wike lawmakers in Rivers

The plaintiffs maintained that unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful acts, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.

Justice Lifu, after going through the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs, he gave an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or recognizing any person or groups other than those elected at the state, local governments, and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.

He also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local governments and ward leadership of the PDP in the 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.

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.

The hearing in the motion on notice was subsequently fixed for October 4.

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