The Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Peter Lifu has restrained governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the 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 the aforementioned from forming 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, in Rivers State.
The court issued the order in its ruling in an ex-parte application brought before it by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee led by 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.
The court ordered that on no account shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive Committees at the State, local governments and the wards be truncated by the defendants.
He also ordered the defendants not to in anyway 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 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 governments and ward executive committees respectfully.
The defendants are PDP, its interim National Chairman, Umar Damagun; Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of PDP’s Governors’ Forum as 1st to 9th defendants.
In the ex-parte motion argued on their behalf by Dr Joshua Musa, SAN, the plaintiffs had alleged that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the legally constituted state, local governments and wards executive committees of PDP in the state.
They also alleged that the defendants, including the PDP governors were also attempting to put in place interim committees to replace them in performing the duties and functions of the state, local governments and wards executive committees of the PDP in Rivers State.
Plaintiffs asserted that unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs, also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (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.
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.
