Abuja- A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday upheld the 2014 ward congresses conducted by the Enugu State chapter of PDP on Nov. 1.
The plaintiffs, Mr Orji Godwin, Mr Cletus Akalusi, and Orji Orji, had on behalf of themselves and other elected delegates, approached the court, seeking for authentication of the result.
The defendants are PDP, PDP National Chairman, the party’s National Organising Secretary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The plaintiffs had sought inter alia and a declaration by the court that the list of delegates was the only valid list for the PDP delegates for primaries in the state.
It also sought an order to restrain INEC from accepting any other list of delegates for the PDP primaries in the state.
Ruling in the suit, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, held that a valid ward congress for the election of the three-man delegate from the 260 wards of the state took place on Nov. 1.
He also ruled that the list brought before the court remained the valid list of candidates returned at the election.
The defendants had argued that the court lacked jurisdiction as it contended that the suit bordered on internal matters of the party.
However, the court held that it had the jurisdiction to hear the suit as the matters in contention were not just internal matters of PDP.
It also held that the delegates had been duly elected and could ask the court to protect their rights as delegates.
Meanwhile, Justice A. R. Ozoemena of the Enugu State High Court has withdrawn from hearing the suit brought before it by Mr Ikeje Asogwa seeking to uphold his appointment as the state’s PDP chairman.
The plaintiff had also prayed the court to restrain the defendant, Mr David Aja, who is now the Acting Chairman of the party, from parading himself as Enugu State PDP chairman.
Justice Ozoemena had on Nov. 14, taken full arguments of the motion on Notice and adjourned the matter until Nov. 24 for ruling.
However, when the case came up for ruling on Monday, Ozoemena told the court that he had been receiving threat calls and text messages and was withdrawing from the case.
He held that the case file be returned to the Registrar of the Enugu State High Court for transmission to the Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike for reassignment. (NAN)
