Court restrains PDP govs from dissolving pro-Wike PDP excos

The Federal High Court in Abuja has 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 Rivers State.

The court also restrained them from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local government, and ward levels who are pro-Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Rivers.

Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering a ruling on an ex-parte application brought before him by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee led by Aaron Chukwuemeka and his counterparts at the local government and ward levels.

Justice Lifu also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local government 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 obtained by our correspondent, the court ordered that on no ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP Executive Committees at the state, local government, and ward levels be truncated by the defendants.

Furthermore, 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 government, and ward officers elected between July 27 and August 31, 2024.

Plaintiffs in the ex-parte application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024 are Aaron Chukwuemeka, Oye Fubara Igenewari, and ThankGod Bekee, who sued on behalf of themselves and the state, local government, and ward executive committees, respectively.

The defendants are PDP, Umar Damagun, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC, and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of the Governors’ Forum as the 1st to 9th defendants.

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 government, and ward executive 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 and perform the duties and functions of the state, local government, and ward executive committees of the PDP in Rivers State.

The plaintiffs asserted that unless the defendants were restrained from carrying out the unlawful act, they would 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 government, and ward 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 on the motion on notice instituted by the plaintiffs against the nine defendants has been fixed for October 4, 2024.