Court restrains PDP govs, party leaders from dissolving pro-Wike exco in Rivers

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from tampering with or dissolving the executive committees of the party in Rivers state.

In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, the court extended the restraining order to the party’s national working committee (NWC) and board of trustees (BoT).

The court also restrained them from constituting any interim committee to replace the Rivers executive officers at the state, local government and ward levels.

The executives are said to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Peter Lifu, presiding judge, issued the order while delivering ruling on an ex-parte application brought before him by the PDP Rivers state executive committee led by Aaron Chukwuemeka and officials at the local government and ward levels. 

The court ordered that on no ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive committees be cut short by the defendants.

In the ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, the plaintiffs through their lawyer, Joshua Musa, alleged that the defendants were making “clandestine moves” to dissolve the legally constituted committees of the party in Rivers state.

They also alleged that the defendants, including the PDP governors, were also attempting to constitute interim committees to perform the duties and functions of the executive committees in Rivers state.

Plaintiffs stressed that unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.

In his ruling, the judge further 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.

The plaintiffs include Aaron Chukwuemeka, Oye Fubara Igenewari and ThankGod Bekee, sued on behalf of themselves, the state, local governments and ward executive committees.

The PDP; Umar Damagun, acting national chair; Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary; Umar Bature, national organising secretary; NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC and Bala Mohammed of governors gorum are listed as 1st to 9th defendants.

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.