Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order preventing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, the National Working Committee, and the Board of Trustees from interfering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the PDP in Rivers State.
The court also prohibited the establishment of any interim committees to replace officers loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, at the state, local government, and ward levels.
This ruling came in response to an ex-parte application filed by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee, led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, along with local and ward committee members. The plaintiffs in the application, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, include Chukwuemeka, Oye Fubara Igenewari, and ThankGod Bekee, who acted on behalf of the state, local government, and ward committees. The defendants include the PDP, Umar Damagun, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, and others.
Argued by Dr. Joshua Musa (SAN), the plaintiffs claimed that the defendants were secretly attempting to dissolve the duly elected executive committees of the PDP in Rivers State and replace them with interim committees. They asserted that unless restrained, they would suffer injustice and losses.
After reviewing the evidence presented, Justice Lifu ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must not accept or recognize anyone other than those elected in the recent state, local government, and ward elections. The judge also ordered that the PDP national body refrain from tampering with or dissolving the local government and ward leadership elected alongside the State Executive Committee this year.
In the court’s enrolled order, it stated that the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive committees at all levels must not be disrupted. Additionally, the defendants were instructed not to allow any other individuals or groups to take on the roles and responsibilities of the PDP officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.
The judge also required the plaintiffs to provide an undertaking to indemnify the defendants should it later be found that the restraining orders were improperly granted. A hearing for the motion on notice is scheduled for October 4, 2024.
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