A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has suspended the National
convention of PDP being organized by the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of
the party slated for August 17th in Rivers state. The embattled
factional chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, had approached the
court to seek an interlocutory injunction against the convention.
Makarfi and a member of the National caretaker
committee of the party, Ben Obi, had immediately applied that they be
joined in Sheriff’s suit as co-defendants.
Hearing on their Application was slated for today but Obi had earlier in
the day gone to the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court
where he was able to secure an ex’parte order that INEC and the police
participate and monitor the August 17th party convention.
An angry Justice Okon lambasted Obi for rushing to the Port Harcourt
Division of the Federal High Court to obtain the ex parte order.
“Senator Ben Obi cannot treat the court with levity. What is the reason
for rushing to another court when the court is already seized of this
matter? I want to point out that a court of coordinate jurisdiction
cannot make an order that will neutralise the proceedings of this court.
The Port Harcourt Division of this court cannot make an order to
neutralise the proceedings of this court”he saidFuthermore, Justice Okon said “To maintain the dignity and integrity of
the court and in the over all interest of justice, taking into
consideration the competing claims of the parties, an order is hereby
made in the interim suspending the PDP convention slated for August 17,
2016, pending when the plaintiff motion on notice dated July 20 is
served and heard” he said.