Court Restrains PDP Governors, National Working Committee from Dissolving Rivers State Executive Committee
A federal high court in Abuja has issued a restraining order against the Governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), its National Working Committee (NWC), and Board of Trustees (BoT), prohibiting them from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committee of the party in Rivers State. The order also restrains them from constituting any interim committee to replace the pro-Wike officers at the state, local governments, and ward levels.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the ruling in an ex-parte application brought by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee, led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, and his counterparts at the local governments and ward levels. The committee had alleged that the defendants were planning to dissolve the legally constituted state, local governments, and wards executives committees of the PDP in Rivers State.
The court order also prohibits the PDP national body and others from tampering with or dissolving the local governments and ward leadership of the PDP in the state, who were elected along with the State Executive Committee at various congresses of the party. The judge has also ordered that the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive Committees at the State, local governments, and wards shall not be truncated by the defendants.
The court further restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or recognizing any other person or group other than those elected at the state, local governments, and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State. The plaintiffs have been ordered 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.
