By Osahon Osahon
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), assumed a dramatic dimension Friday evening, as a Cross River State High Court, granted an interim order restraining the embattled national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, from resuming office.
The presiding Judge of the Court, Hon. Justice Edem Kooffreh, gave the order on Friday, while ruling on a motion ex parte in a case marked HC/240/2021, and filed by Enang Wani.
The Court barred Secondus from presiding over any meeting of the party until the motion is heard.
“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, 2021 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.
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“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.
Justice Kooffreh further gave an order for a substituted service of the ruling be served to the parties 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”.
It is pertinent to note that multiple court orders have further prolonged crisis rocking the from being over and all peace-making efforts by the party’s leaders have thus been shattered.
Recall that a High Court in Rivers State had on Monday, granted an interim order restraining Secondus from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.
The party subsequently named Yemi Akinwonmi, deputy national chairman (south) of the PDP, as the acting chairman of the party on Thursday.
But, hours later, a Kebbi State High Court ordered the return of Secondus as national chairman of the party.
