Less than 24 hours to the primaries of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), an Enugu High Court has granted an interim order restraining the party’s national chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, from “parading himself as chairman of the party.”

The order was granted by the presiding Judge, Reuben Onuorah, ruling that Mr. Nwodo should stop functioning as chairman and enjoying any benefits from the position, pending the determination of motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

The suit, No E/449/2010, was filed in December by Collins Amalu, a registered member of the party from Ngwo-Uno ward in Enugu State. In the suit, Mr. Amalu claimed that Mr. Nwodo was not a bonafide member of PDP.

“At the time he left the PDP and sought to return to the party, he did not re-register as a member of the party and was not issued a membership card in line with PDP Constitution. This fact was publicly confirmed by Mr. Nwodo himself and enquiries made also confirmed that. Based on that, he is not entitled to hold the position, perform any function, or enjoy the benefits from the party,” the judgement said.

The suit was further adjourned to January 31 for hearing.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defence counsels, Ilochi Okafor(a Senior Advocate of Nigeria), and Mike Ajogwu, SAN, were absent at the court.

Mr. Nwodo, a former national secretary of the PDP, was appointed as the party’s chairperson by the National Executive Committee of the party in June 2010, following the resignation of the then national president, Vincent Eze Ogbulafor.

Mr. Nwodo left the party in 2003, but returned earlier in 2010 when the party welcomed back all its aggrieved members who had deserted the party for one thing or the other.