Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja will today hear a motion for an interlocutory injunction seeking among others, an order stopping the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for August 17 in Port Harcourt.
The judge 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 Lawal Dutsima Anchi (Deputy National Auditor); Chief Okey Nnadozie (Deputy National Organising Secretary) and Chief Olisa Metuh (National Publicity Secretary).
The respondents are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP.
The applicants said the interlocutory injunction is intended to preserve the res pending the determination of a substantive suit they filed on July 4 in which they argued among others, that by virtue of the PDP Constitution, their tenure expires 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 specifically want the court to stop the party from going ahead with the planned national convention pending the determination of their substantive suit.
Justice Abang had, while granting the applicants’ motion ex-parte 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
He scheduled hearing of the application for today and directed that the issuance of hearing notices on both respondents – the PDP and INEC.
