Politics
Court verdict on Ogun PDP primaries: Nothing to worry about, Showunmi assures supporters
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Otunba Segun Showunmi, a governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has urged his supporters not to worry about the judgement of a Federal High Court, Abeokuta which on Tuesday nullified the primary elections conducted by Hon Ladipupo Adebutu controlled camp of the opposition party.
Otunba Segun Showunmi while reacting to the court judgement described it as another bold moves to strengthen democratic ideals and ensure that the choice of party’s candidates was not handpicked by just a few but by larger party members eligible to do that under the electoral act.
Showunmi said, the judgement however has nothing to do with the lawsuit he had instituted against the party in the state seeking the dissolution of the leadership of the party while also asking the court to bar them from conducting the 2023 primaries over allegation of bias.
The High Court sitting at Abeokuta had dismissed the case for lacking in jurisdiction but an Abuja Appeal Court had ordered the case be heard on merit.
Showunmi, while urging his followers to keep hope alive and never stop mobilising support for the victory of PDP both at the at the state and national level revealed that he was very sure that the court will soon serve the much awaited justice as he remains sincerely set to redefine governance in the state
As things stand now, the former Spokesman to PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said he is now the party’s governorship candidate for the state
It would be recalled that three members of the party, Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuri had dragged the party, Ladi Adebutu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court challenging the authenticity of the delegates’ lists used
The primary elections had among others produced Hon Ladipupo Adebutu as the party’s governorship candidate
for the state but the these party members had argued that the list of delegates used were not democratically elected at the ward congress and therefore the congress
Giving his judgement on Tuesday, Justice O.O Oguntoyinbo annulled all the PDP primaries election and ordered the party to conduct another primaries within the next 14 days.
The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Hon. Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Politics
Emmanuel Agbo emerges as DG PDP Governors’ Forum
Former Deputy National Secretary, DNS, and frontline national chairmanship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Emmanuel Agbo has been appointed as the Director General of PDP Governor’s Forum.
This was announced by the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, during the BoT meeting of the party in Abuja on Thursday.
Agbo is expected to assist in repositioning the PDP-GF to play its role in nation building under the leadership of the Chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.
He is a former Chairman of Benue State chapter of the PDP, an engineer and an experienced party administrator.
Politics
INEC set to monitor APC governorship primary election, others in Ondo— REC
Politics
Court declines to vacate order restraining Secondus, Omehia, Opara from PDP meetings
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed applications by former Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, and two others, seeking to set aside an order restraining them from attending meetings of the leadership of the party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that sacked Governor of Rivers, Celestine Omehia, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, were also affected with the order.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in separate rulings, dismissed the three separate applications filed by the trio on the ground that their motions for stay of execution of the order were wrongly filed and therefore, incompetent.
NAN reports that the judge had, on April 5, issued ex-parte orders, which among others, restrain the three PDP chieftains from attending any meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and/or Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party.
Justice Ekwo restrained them from participating in deliberations or proceedings of the meetings in any manner pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The restraining orders were made in relation to three substantive suits filed against the three chieftains of the PDP by some members of the party in Rivers State.
NAN reports that the suit against Secondus and seven others, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/440/2024 was filed by Titus Jones.
The second against Omehia and five others, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/436/2024 was filed by Precious Wobisike, while the third, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/438/2024 against Opara and seven others, was filed by Chisa Amadi.
Secondus, Omehia and Opara had applied that the execution of the orders be stayed pending the determination of the appeals they filed, challenging the ex-parte orders.
In the three different rulings on Thursday, Justice Ekwo described the applications as incompetent.
He held that under Order 26(9)(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules (FHCCPR) 2019, what Secondus, Omehia and Opara ought to do was to apply to the court to either vary or discharge the orders, not to apply for stay.
The judge said: “By Order 26 (9) (1) of the FHCCPR 2019, it is provided that where an order is made on a motion ex -parte, any person affected by it may, within seven days after service of it, or within such further time as the court shall allow, apply to the court by motion to vary or discharge it.
“The first defendant/applicant ought to have familiarise himself with the provisions of the rules of this court before embarking on this course.
“What any person, who is affected by ex-parte order of the Federal High Court has to do is provided for in Order 26(9)(1) of the FHCCPR 2019.
“There is no law which provides for appeal against ex-parte order of the Federal High Court.
“It is trite that where there is no law in support of a process or action such process or action is considered as abuse of process of court.
“I find that there is no iota of law in support of this application and I so hold.
“The consequence thereof also has been stated by the court in a very steady manner.
“I therefore make an order dismissing this application for being an abuse of process of this court,” Justice Ekwo said in the ruling on the application by Secondus.
Justice Ekwo reached the same conclusions in respect of similar applications by Omehia and Opara.
The judge then adjourned until April 25 for hearing of a pending motions on notice for interim injunctions filed by the plaintiffs in the three cases.
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