The Lagos Sate Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday
urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to put in place measures to
prevent courts from delivering conflicting judgments.
Chief Ola Apena, the Deputy State Chairman of PDP, told the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the recent court orders on the party’s
convention by Federal High Courts in Abuja and Port Harcourt were
conflicting and absurd.
The national convention scheduled to hold on Aug. 17 was stopped by an
Abuja Federal High Court.
However, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, specifically
ordered the PDP to proceed with the convention as scheduled without
hindrance.
“Our position is that some of these court houses make themselves a willing
tool in the hands of some of these people who are fast in purchasing black
market injunction and all the rest.
“So, if the judiciary will not put its house in order, then they would
want to make themselves a subject of ridicule.
“If two courts of coordinate jurisdiction give contradicting judgments
then, you are giving the litigant the freedom to choose which one suits
him.
“I was expecting that some internal mechanism to prevent what happened
yesterday could have been done.
“I believe that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court can consolidate
all cases involving the party in one particular court; but, what is
happening is just putting the judiciary to a kind of ridicule.”
He argued that with the two contradicting judgments, the Makarfi faction
will flow with the Port Harcourt judgment while those who believe in
Sheriff would want to hang on to the Abuja judgment.
“So, none of us have bridged any law. We are all obeying the court order
because the court in Abuja is not superior to that in Port Harcourt the
one in Port Harcourt is not superior to the one in Abuja,” he said.