Court prohibits PDP from initiating action against Gov. Wike until after presidential election
The Federal High Court in Abuja’s Justice James Omotosho on Tuesday extended the injunction preventing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership from suspending or exiling Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers from the party as the presidential election approaches.
Joshua Musa, the governor’s attorney, and Johnson Usman, the PDP and other parties’ attorney, had agreed that the case would be presented on March 6.
The presidential election scheduled for February 25 will be held far after the March 6 deadline.
Given their refusal to associate with the party’s presidential nominee, Atiku Abubakar, or join his campaign train, there had been rumors the party may have intended to discipline Wike and his G5 colleagues for anti-party acts.
The party and those named in Wike’s motion dated February 2, 2020 had received a restraining order from Justice Omotosho earlier this month.
Other parties included in the lawsuit with the file number FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023 are the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who are listed as the first through sixth respondents, respectively.
The governor requested an order instructing the parties to maintain the status quo and delaying all actions in the case regarding the first to fifth respondents’ threat to eject him while the original motion was being decided.
Wike also asked the court for permission to serve the move on notice and all other court documents in the case on the first through fifth respondents through alternative methods, such as by pasting the documents at the PDP National Secretariat.
After hearing Wike’s attorney, Justice Omotosho granted all the reliefs requested.
All parties to this lawsuit must preserve good relations and refrain from doing any actions that could render the decision of the motion on notice, which was filed on February 2, 2023, meaningless and pointless.
“Any act, measure, or action taken to render the result of the motion on notice filed on February 2, 2023 null and void shall be a nullity.
“That leave is hereby granted to the applicant (Wike) to serve the originating motion, motion on notice and all other processes of this court in this suit on the 1st to 5th respondents by substituted means to wit, by pasting all the said processes of court on PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”
Iyorchia Ayu, the former minister of education, is being called out by Wike and the G5 team for resigning from his position as PDP national chairman.
Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are additional group members (Enugu).
Due to their insistence on fairness, equity, and justice, they had refrained from participating in any of the party’s presidential campaign efforts.
