Court stops PDP from dissolving Rivers executives

On Wednesday, the People’s Democratic Party’s national body attempted to dissolve the Rivers State PDP SEC for alleged anti-party activities, but the Federal High Court in Abuja blocked the move.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his ruling, stated that the plaintiff, Desmond Akawo, had a strong case.

Specifically, Rivers PDP chairman Akawo had filed suit against the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu (the party’s immediate past national chairman), and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC).

On March 9, the plaintiff’s attorney, Joshua Musa, SAN, filed a modified originating summons with the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/112/2023, adding the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the third defendant.

Akawo asked the court to rule on whether or not the Rivers SEC was entitled to serve its term in light of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 47(1) of the PDP Constitution (as revised in 2017).

He claimed that the state congress conducted on March 21, 2020 gave him and the other members of the Rivers PDP SEC, LGA executive committees, and ward executive committees the right to serve out their full four-year terms, which would end on or around May 22, 2024.

According to the affidavit Akawo personally deposed to, the PDP and its national chairman threatened to disband the Rivers PDP SEC and replace it with an interim caretaker committee on January 4, only days before the general elections.

He claimed that neither he nor any other state committee member had ever been questioned previous to the threat.

Therefore, he filed a lawsuit asking the court to issue an injunction preventing the Rivers’ SEC, LGA executive committees, and the ward executive committees from being dissolved, suspended, or had their terms shortened prior to May 22, 2024, when their four-year term would expire.

The PDP and its national chairman, Justice Ekwo ruled, did not refute Akawo’s claims.

The First and Second Defendants have essentially conceded the Plaintiff’s argument on this matter.

“The law is that admitted facts need no further proof,” he stated.

The judge agreed with Akawo and granted all of his requests, ruling that the party and its national chairman cannot unilaterally and without fair cause dissolve the state executives who were democratically elected for a period of four years.

Until May 22, 2024, he issued an injunction prohibiting them from nominating anyone to serve as the state’s interim caretaker committee.

Furthermore, Justice Ekwo issued an injunction order prohibiting INEC from recognizing or admitting any caretaker committee of the PDP in the state other than those duly elected and represented by Akawo in the complaint.