There seem to be litany of orders as the Cross River High Court has granted an interim order restraining Uche Secondus from resuming office as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Recall that a Rivers state High Court on Monday granted an interim order restraining Secondus from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.
The National Working Committee, NWC, of the party on Thursday, appointed Yemi Akinwonmi, deputy national chairman (south) of the PDP, as the acting chairman, which position was also ratified by the PDP Governors Forum.
However, later same day, a Kebbi State High Court granted an order for the reinstatement of Secondus as national chairman of the party.
But in what seem like countering the Kebbi court and affirming the Rivers Court, Justice Edem Kooffreh on Friday, restrained Secondus from returning to the office as National Chairman.
The order is contained in a ruling on a motion ex parte marked HC/240/2021, and filed by Enang Wani.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the first defendant (Secondus) from presiding over the national executive committee meeting of the 2nd Defendant scheduled to hold on Saturday, the 28th of August, 2012 or any subsequent meeting of the national executive committee of the second defendant and from presiding over any meeting of any organ of the second defendant or attending any of such meetings of functions in the capacity of national chairman of the party or in any other manner or form attempting to forcefully gain entrance into any such meetings or into the premises of the second defendant as national chairman of the party pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the judge ruled.
The court also restrained the PDP from recognising or granting Secondus the powers due to the office of the national chairman.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the second defendant, its members, officers and agents from recognising the first defendant as its national chairman or from according him any of the powers, rights or privileges due to the holder of the office of the National chairman of the 2 Defendant pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the ruling reads.
Kooffreh also ruled that the notice of the ruling be served to the parties by substituted means by “pasting at the entrance of the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Wadata Plaza, Plot 1970, Michael Okpara Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria and by publication in two (2) National Newspapers in Nigeria”.
