Abuja – The leadership crisis facing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is getting messier by the day as another court, this time, the Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar, has granted another exparte motion restraining Uche Secondus from parading himself as National Chairman of the party.
The new order went further by also banning him from resuming office as PDP National Chairman or visiting the Party’s National Secretariat while seeking reelection into the National Working Committee.
Edem Kooffreh a vacation judge gave the order on Friday, while ruling on a motion ex parte marked HC/240/2021 which was 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 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.”
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.”
This is the second order against him following the injunction issued by the Rivers State High Court that also suspended his membership of the party.
Secondus had also secured an order on Thursday from the Kebbi High Court sitting in Birnin Kebbi reinstating him as PDP National Chairman. Armed with this order he resumed office on Friday.
Members of the PDP National Caucus however prevented him from presiding over their meeting at the party’s National Secretariat on Friday.
The party is to hold a crucial National Executive Committee NEC, meeting on Saturday in Abuja which the court order from Calabar has banned him from attending or presiding over.
The NEC meeting is expected to adopt the October 30-31 date proposed by the National Caucus for the National Convention to hold for the purpose of electing new officials of the National Working Committee, NWC.
