Rivers crisis: Court restrains PDP govs, NWC, BoT from dissolving pro-Wike EXCOs

An Abuja Federal High Court has restrained Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors, the National Working Committee, NWC, and Board of Trustees, BoT, of the party from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committee of the party in Rivers State.

members of the Rivers PDP EXCO are loyalists of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. Wike is engaged in a supremacy battle with Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara.

The court also restrained the PDP governors and the party’s NWC and BoT from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local government and ward levels in Rivers State.

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

Justice Lifu also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local government and ward leaderships of the PDP in Rivers State who were elected along with the State Executive Committee during the recent congress of the party.

In an enrolled order obtained by our correspondent, the court ordered that on no ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive committees at the state, local government and wards be truncated by the defendants.

Besides, the judge also ordered 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 government and ward officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.

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 state, local government and ward executive committees.

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

They also 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 government and ward executive committees of the party in Rivers State.

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

In his ruling, Justice Lifu after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from accepting or recognizing any other person or groups other than those elected at the state, local government and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.

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.