Court bars PDP from dissolving pro-Wike Exco of party in Rivers

A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governors from dissolving the executive committees of the Rivers’ chapter of the party.

The court also prevented the PDP from constituting an interim committee to replace the party’s officers at the state, local government, and ward levels who are loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

Justice Peter Lifu gave the order in a ruling on an ex-parte motion moved by Joshua Musa, SAN, on behalf of the Rivers State Executive Committee (SEC) of the PDP and others at the local government and ward levels.

The judge also ordered the PDP national body and others listed as defendants not to tamper with the local government and ward leadership of the party in Rivers, elected along with the SEC this year at various congresses of the party.

The order also prevents the defendants from truncating the tenure of the executive committees at the state, local governments, and wards pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

Although the order was made on Tuesday, the certified true copy was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

Plaintiffs, defendants

NAN reports that the 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 government and ward executive committees of the PDP.

They had sued the PDP, Umar Damagun, acting national chairperson; Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s secretary; Umar Bature; the National Working Committee (NWC); the National Executive Committee (NEC); and the Board of Trustees (BOT).

Others are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Bala Mohammed, chairperson of the PDP Governors’ Forum, as the first to ninth defendants.

In the motion argued by Mr Musa, the plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the party’s legally constituted state, local government, and ward executive committees in the state.

They also alleged that the defendants, including the PDP governors, were attempting to establish interim committees to replace them and perform their duties and functions.

The plaintiffs asserted that unless the defendants were restrained from carrying out the unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.

After listening to the lawyer and perusing the exhibits tendered, Justice Lifu restrained INEC from accepting or recognising any other person or groups other than those elected at the state, local government and ward elections of the PDP in Rivers.

The judge, however, 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.

He subsequently adjourned the matter until 4 October for a hearing.

Background

Nigerian governors are traditionally the leaders of their party in their respective states.

However, in Rivers, where Siminalayi Fubara, the state governor, is fighting a protracted political battle with his predecessor, Mr Wike, the latter is in control of the PDP structure in the state, an anomaly the PDP Governors’ Forum is eager to correct.

Governor Fubara boycotted the PDP congresses in Rivers after his loyalists secured a court order against it, but the PDP national leadership released voting materials to Mr Wike, whose loyalists emerged as party executives at the ward, local government areas, and state levels.