Court bars PDP govs, others from dissolving pro-Wike excos in Rivers

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Justice Peter Lifu, of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, restrained the People’s Democratic Party Governors, National Working Committee, and Board of Trustees of the party from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in Rivers State.

The court also stopped them from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local governments, and ward levels who are loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.

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

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

The defendants are PDP, Umar Damagun, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC, and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of 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 executives committees of PDP in Rivers State.

They also alleged that the defendants and the PDP governors were 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 said unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful acts, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.

In his ruling, after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs, the judge gave an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting or recognizing any person or groups other than those elected at the state, local governments,
and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.

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 the 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, the court ordered that on no ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive committees at the state, local governments, and the wards be truncated by the defendants.

Justice Lifu 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 governments, and ward officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.

The judge also 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.

The hearing in the motion on notice was subsequently fixed for October 4, 2024.