Court Stops PDP From Suspending, Expelling Wike

Justice J. K. Omotosho of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has ordered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to take any untoward action to suspend or expelling Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State from the party.

The Court made the order following an ex-parte motion filed by Governor Wike against the the PDP.

Respondents in the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023, dated and filed on February 2, 2023 are the PDP, its National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC), ational Chairman of PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, National Secretary of PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

By the motion, the applicant (Wike) prayed for an order maintaining status quo and staying all actions in the matter relating to the threat to suspend or expel the him by the 1st to 5th Respondents pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.

Wike also asked for an order of the Court granting him leave to the to serve the motion on notice, originating motion and all other processes of the
Court in the suit on the 1st to 5th Respondents by substituted means to wit, by pasting all the said processes of Court on the PDP National Secretariat.

The Rivers State Governor equally sought for an order deeming such service as made
above as proper service.

Upon reading the Affidavit in support of the motion exparte deposed to by one Precious Ikpe and filed at the Court Registry and after hearing Dr J. Y. Musa, for the Applicant, the court granted all the reliefs sought.

Justice Omotosho ordered, “all parties in this suit shall maintain peace and shall not take any action or step or act that may make the outcome of the Motion on Notice dated and filed on 2nd February, 2023 nugatory and worthless.

“That any act or step or action made so as to make the outcome of the Motion on Notice dated and filed on 2nd February, 2023 nugatory shall be a nullity.

“That leave is hereby granted to the Applicant to serve the Originating Motion, Motion on Notice and all other processes of this Court in this suit on the 1st to 5th Respondents by substituted means to wit, by pasting all the said processes of Court on PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

Meanwhile, the court has adjourned till February 14, 2023, for hearing of the Motion on Notice dated and filed on February 2, 2023.

LEADERSHIP was, however, unable to verify whether there were moves to suspend or expel Governor Wike from the PDP by the party’s national leadership for any wrongdoing or not.

It will be recalled that Wike leads a group of aggrieved PDP Governors called the G5 or Integrity Group, which vowed never to support the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, over what it called injustice in the party’s hierarchical positions.