Court Restrains Election Of PDP Chair, Two Others


     

POSTED: MAY 17, 2016

Rotimi Akinwumi

Abuja

While the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday closed ranks with troubled Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff and gave its nod for him to continue in office as the National Chairman, and gave blessing to the conduct of the party’s National Convention, a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, the National Auditor, has dragged the party to court, seeking injunction to stop the convention.
Specifically, in the affidavit deposed to before a Federal High Court in Lagos, Adeyanju asked the court to stop the party from conducting elections into the offices of National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor.

The trio of Ali Modu-Sheriff, Prof Wale Oladipo and Adeyanju were listed as 1st to 3rd Plaintiff in the case.

The court has issued an interlocutory injunction against the party restraining it from carrying out the elections into the offices.

Aside from the PDP, the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has also had a restraining order issued against it, preventing it from monitoring the conduct of any election into the offices.

The elections into the three offices were scheduled to take place alongside others at the national convention of the party slated for Port Harcourt on Saturday, May 21, 2016.

In the case with suit number FHC/L/CS/61 3/2016, dated 6th of May, 2016, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP were listed as the 1st and 2nd defendants.

The plaintiffs prayed for the following orders; “An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the 2nd defendant from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied  by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs, respectively pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the 1st Defendant/Respondent from monitoring and or recognizing the conduct of any election by the 2nd Defendant/Respondent into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Plaintiffs, respectively pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
And for such further order(s) the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.

According to the court order dated May 12, 2016, the affidavit in support of the Motion on Notice and the exhibits attached were deposed to by Alhaji Adeyanju.

In response to the submission made by the plaintiffs’ counsels, the court presided over by Justice I.N. Buba, granted the following: “an order of interlocutory injunction as requested by the Plaintiffs/ Applicants restraining the 2nd Defendant/Respondent from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Plaintiffs respectively pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

“An order of interlocutory injunction to the Plaintiffs/Applicants restraining the 1st Defendant/Respondent from monitoring and or recognizing the conduct of any the 2nd Defendant/Respondent into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Plaintiffs respectively pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

The case has been adjourned to May 24, 2016.