Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a ruling restraining the Governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), along with its National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT), from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in Rivers State.
According to Channels Television, the court further ordered that they are prohibited from constituting any interim committee to replace the pro-Wike officers at the state, local government, and ward levels.Justice Lifu delivered this ruling during an ex-parte application filed by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee, led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, along with their counterparts at local government and ward levels. The judge emphasized that the PDP national body must not interfere with the elected leadership at all levels in Rivers State, which were established during the party’s congresses earlier this year. In an enrolled order, he stated that the tenure of the Rivers PDP Executive Committees at the state, local government, and ward levels cannot be truncated.
Additionally, Justice Lifu prohibited the defendants from allowing any other group to assume the roles and responsibilities of the elected PDP Executives from elections held between July 37 and August 31, 2024.
The plaintiffs, represented by counsel Joshua Musa, argued that the defendants were attempting to dissolve the legally constituted executive committees and replace them with interim committees. They asserted that without the restraining order, they would suffer injustice and losses.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing any persons or groups other than those duly elected at the PDP elections in Rivers State. The judge has ordered the plaintiffs to file a fresh undertaking to indemnify the defendants should it be found that the restraining orders were not warranted.
The hearing for the motion on notice instituted by the plaintiffs against nine defendants is scheduled for October 4, 2024.
