Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued an order restraining Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) from dissolving the Executive Committees of the party at all levels in Rivers State.
The court also forbids them from setting up any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local governments and ward levels.
Members of the Excos at the three levels are believed to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.
Justice Peter Lifu handed down the orders in a ruling on an ex-parte motion file by Rivers State PDP Executive Committee, led by Aaron Chukwuemeka and his counterparts at the local government and ward levels.
Justice Lifu further ordered the PDP and others not to dissolve the local governments and ward leadership of the PDP in Rivers State, elected along with the State Executive Committee this year at various congresses of the party.
In a copy of the enrolled order seen on Wednesday, the judge ordered that on no account should the tenure of the Rivers PDP EXCOS at the state, local government and the ward levels be truncated by the defendants.
He directed that the defendants must not, in anyway, allow or permit any other group or persons to perfume the duties and functions of the PDP State, local governments and Ward officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.
The judge ordered the plaintiffs to file a fresh undertaking to indemnify all the defendants in case if is discovered that the restraining orders issued against the defendants ought not to have been granted.
He adjourned till hearing of the plaintiffs’ motion on notice, seeking further restraining orders against the defendants.
Listed as plaintiffs in the suit, 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.
Listed as defendants are PDP, its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun; Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC and Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed.
The plaintiffs, represented by Joshua Musa (SAN), claimed that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the legally constituted state, local government and ward executives committees of PDP in Rivers State.
They alleged that the defendants including the PDP governors were also 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.
The plaintiffs stated that unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.
