Another judge restrains PDP from holding national convention

A federal high court in Abuja has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from holding its national convention billed for Ibadan, Oyo state, between November 15 and 16.

The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supervising, monitoring or recognising the outcome of the convention if held.

Peter Lifu, presiding judge, issued the order on Tuesday while delivering a ruling in an application filed by Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state.

Lamido had sued the party for allegedly denying him the opportunity to buy the chairmanship nomination form to enable him participate in the convention.

He had filed an ex parte application on October 31 through his lawyer, Jephthah Njikonye, seeking an interim order stopping the convention.

The judge ordered the PDP and INEC, who are 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit, to show cause why the ex-governor’s reliefs should not be granted.

At the resumed court session on Tuesday, Lifu held that the plaintiff’s application had merit and was deserving of the court’s intervention.

Consequently, the judge restrained the PDP from convening the convention pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The judge predicated the restriction order on the grounds that the party failed to comply with relevant conditions and laws for the conduct of such a convention.

He held that evidence from Lamido showed that the timetable for the convention was not published for the attention of its members as required by law.

Lifu noted that the plaintiff, a bona fide member of the PDP with an interest in the position of national chairman, would suffer greater hardship if the interim order was not granted.

He added that he saw no reason to depart from the earlier decision of James Omotosho, another federal high court judge, which similarly halted the planned convention and restrained INEC from monitoring or recognising it.

CONFLICTING RULINGS

The order follows a similar ruling last month.

On October 31, the federal high court in Abuja stopped the PDP from going ahead with the convention.

In its ruling, Omotosho, the presiding judge, said evidence before the court showed that the party failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned national convention as stipulated in the 1999 constitution, INEC guidelines, as well as its own constitution.

The scheduled convention has provided room for another theatre of conflicting court rulings.

On November 4, the Oyo state high court ordered the PDP and Umar Damagum, the national chairman, to proceed with the convention.

A.L. Akintola, the presiding judge, issued the order following an ex parte application filed by Folahan Malomo Adelabi.

On Monday, some allies of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to sanction Akintola over alleged judicial indiscretion and abuse of office.