The reprieve, which the embattled chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Uche Secondus had last Thursday, turned sour yesterday as the Cross River State High Court granted an interim order restraining him from resuming as chairman of the party.
Recall that a High Court in Rivers State had, last week, stopped from him parading himself as chairman of the party.
Secondus had resumed at the party’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday after a Kebbi State High Court on Thursday reinstated him as the party’s chair.
But hours later, the court in Cross River State granted an order restraining him from resuming the office.
The order came as Secondus was set to preside over the national executive committee meeting of the party slated for today (Saturday) in Abuja.
The presiding judge, Edem Kooffreh, gave the order while ruling on a motion ex parte marked HC/240/2021, and filed by an aggrieved member of the party, Enang Wani.
The PDP and Secondus are respondents in the suit.
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, 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 to 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 ordered that the notice of the ruling be served on 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.”
