Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an interim order restraining the Peoples Democratic Party’s interim National Committee from recognizing any party exco from Yobe state aside from the Alhaji Gana Lawan led leadership of the party.
The judge’s order was delivered n Tuesday in respect of a suit filed by the Gana Lawan Karasuwa led Yobe State PDP exco.
According to the judge “an order is made in the interim restraining the 2nd to 4th Defendants from conducting any primary election in Yobe State except through the instrumentality f the Plaintiffs in the organization and conduct of the Plaintiffs in the organization and conduct of the electoral college(State, Senatorial District, House of Representatives, House of Assembly Congress) for the election of party candidates for general and other elections to public offices pending hearing and determination of the motion on notice
She added : “That an Order is made in the interim restraining the 1st Defendant from recognising, accepting the results f and processing any list of candidates(submitted by the National Executive Committee,National Caretaker Committee or other national leadership of the PDP however styled (based on any primary election for the PDP in Yobe State conducted by the said National Executive Committee, National Caretaker Committee or other national leadership of the PDP however styled without recourse to the authentic Yobe State apparatus f the 2nd Defendant headed by the Plaintiffs(who are the authentic officers of the Yobe State Executive Committee…”
The plaintiffs approached the Federal High Court with a Motion Ex Parte seeking an order of interim injunction among others restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, PDP and Senator Ahmed Makarfi among others from “recognizing any other person or group of persons as the authentic leadership or Executive Committee of PDP in Yobe State except the party leadership structure duly elected and headed by the plaintiffs as the authentic officers of Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP
They also sought an order of interim injunction “restraining the 8th Defendant (Sani Nguru) from continuing to parade himself as the chairman of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP
According t the Motion Ex parte, the plaintiffs also sought an order of interim injunction restraining PDP and its National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Makarfi and privies “from taking any steps to dissolve or otherwise replace the plaintiffs as the authentic officers of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP except by elections due to be conducted in May 2020.
Even more, the plaintiffs are seeking the court’s ruling that having been duly elected on the 10th of May 2016, their four year tenure should expire in May 2020.
Gana Lawan in an affidavit in support of the originating summons chronicled how the plaintiffs were duly elected in 2016.
He also stated that Alhaji Sani Inuwa Nguru suddenly appeared on the scene claiming to be the chairman of Yobe State Executive committee.He said the actions of Nguru threatened the peaceful administration of the party in Yobe.
The plaintiffs also argued as stated in the affidavit that emergence f Makarfi after the Supreme Court ruling “does not in any way affect the validity of the Plaintiffs’ election as the Plaintiffs’ election predates both his election and the said decision of the Supreme Curt,confirming his position.”
Lawan prayed the court to intervene by granting the reliefs sought in the Motion Ex Parte.
Effectively, the court order in practical terms has restrained the leadership of the Sani Nguru led faction of the PDP from parading themselves as the executives of the party in Yobe State.
Just like Yobe State, PDP excos in several states are still embroiled in leadership cum factional crisis ahead of the national convention slated for Saturday December 9.
