Sheriff, Oladipo, Metuh, Ask Court to Stop PDP Convention

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

A Federal High Court, Abuja, will this Thursday hear an application for an interlocutory injunction seeking, among others, an order stopping the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for August 17.

The judge, Justice Okon Abang, had on Tuesday, granted the applicants, who are mostly members of the Ali Modu-Sheriff faction of the party, leave to have the application heard during the court’s long vacation.

The applicants are Sheriff, Prof. Wale Oladapo (National Secretary); Dennis Alonge-Niyi (Deputy National Youth Leader); Alhaji Bashir Maidugu (Deputy National Legal Advier); Mrs. Hanatu Ulam (Deputy National Women Leader); Alhaji Lawa Dutsima Anchi (Deputy National Auditor); Chief Okey Nnadozie (Deputy National Organising Secretary) and Chief Olisa Metuh (National Publicity Secretary).

Named as respondents are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP as the defendants.

The applicants said the interlocutory injunction was ntended to preserve the res pending the determination of a substantive suit they filed on July 4, 2016 in which they argued among others, that that by virtue of the PDP Constitution, their tenure would expire in 2018.

The nine plaintiffs said they filed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/464/2016 for themselves and on behalf of the Executive Committee/National Working Committee of the PDP.

The Sheriff faction of the party filed the interlocutory application on July 20 shortly after the Ahmed Makarfi faction announced August 17 for the party’s national convention.

They are asking the court to stop the party from going ahead with the national convention pending the determination of their substantive suit.

Justice Abang had, while granting the applicants’ motion ex-perte for leave to have the application heard during vacation, said he ordinarily would not have granted it, but for the urgency involved.

“It is deserving to be heard during the vacation by the judge nominated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. But whether it will succeed is another issue entirely,” the judge said

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