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A court order has thrown a wrench into the plans of Abia State’s PDP chapter, which had been poised to hold a trio of congresses to elect new officials at the state, local government, and ward levels, with the High Court in Bende issuing a restraining order that puts the process on hold.
The congress, initially scheduled to kick off on July 27, 2024, was set to begin with the election of ward executives from all 184 wards across the state, marking the first step in a broader process to revamp the party’s leadership structure.
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Justice C.U. Okoroafor’s ruling on the ex parte motion imposed a temporary injunction on the party, prohibiting it from taking any actions or giving directives that would extend the expired terms of its state, local government, and ward executive officers, until the court reaches a decision on the motion on notice.
The order read; “It is hereby ordered that leave be and is granted the claimants/Applicants to serve the originating summons and other processes in this suit on the defendants in Abuja , outside Abia State.
“That claimants/ applicants are hereby granted leave to serve the originating summons, orders and all other processes in this suit by substituted means by delivering same to any adult inmate and/ or by posting same at the headquarters of PDP, Wadata plaza, FCT, Abuja.
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“That the defendants either by themselves, their representatives, servants, agents, assigns or howsoever called are hereby restrained from holding or carrying on the PDP party congress in Abia State on 27-07-2024 or to reschedule it to be held on any other date or location pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed.
“That the defendants either by themselves, their representatives, servants, agents, assigns or howsoever called are hereby restrained from taking any decision or giving directive to further extend the already expired tenure of the last state, local government and ward executive officers of the PDP in Abia State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed.”
According to sources, the case has been adjourned until July 30, 2024, to allow for the report of service, marking a brief pause in the proceedings.
However, the PDP in a statement, by its Acting state publicity secretary, Elder Amah Abraham, alleged that the restraining order was obtained by certain individuals who had previously resigned from the party prior to the 2023 general elections.
He disclosed that the party has activated its legal department to take appropriate actions against what he described as ‘unjust restraining order’.
The publicity secretary also warned that the PDP is determined to confront those who seek to undermine it.
“It is time to expose the common enemies of our party, and we will not back down from this fight,” he said.
