The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has declared\u00a0 that\u00a0 the National
\nCaretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is the executive
\nauthority in all matters concerning the party.<\/p>\n
Delivering\u00a0 a judgment on Suit Number FHC\/PH \/CS \/585\/2016, between
\nSenator Ben Obi for himself and other members of the National Planning
\nCommittee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Inspector-General
\nof Police,\u00a0 the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State,\u00a0 State Security
\nService, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Justice
\nIbrahim Watila\u00a0 ordered the\u00a0 Police,\u00a0 DSS\u00a0 and INEC\u00a0 to\u00a0 participate\u00a0 in
\nthe\u00a0 17th August, 2016 National Convention.<\/p>\n
He declared that : “It is necessary for\u00a0 the defendants to carry out their
\nrespective\u00a0 functions at the 17th August,\u00a0 2016”.<\/p>\n
The court declared\u00a0 that\u00a0 its judgment\u00a0 of\u00a0 4th July, 2016 remains valid
\nuntil\u00a0 set aside by a competent jurisdiction,\u00a0 which in this case is the
\nCourt of Appeal.<\/p>\n
The court stressed that all the defendants are clearly and without dispute
\nbound to obey the judgment.<\/p>\n
“This court will not shy away from protecting\u00a0 the\u00a0 sanctity of its
\njudgment. The court has held that the appointment of the PDP National
\nCaretaker Committee is valid ” , he said.<\/p>\n
Justice Watila\u00a0 stated that the defendants\u00a0 are bound\u00a0 by the judgment
\nbecause\u00a0 they have made no attempt\u00a0 to\u00a0 set aside the judgment\u00a0 or filed
\nany process\u00a0 in that direction.<\/p>\n
He stated: “In view of the subsisting judgment\u00a0 of this Honourable Court
\nin Suit No:FHC\/PH \/CS \/524\/2016,\u00a0 PDP V.\u00a0 Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff and
\nothers,\u00a0 the defendants\u00a0 cannot lawfully interfere or prevent the
\nPlaintiff from organising \/holding the Planned National Convention of the
\nPDP\u00a0 to hold in Port Harcourt on August 17th 2016.”<\/p>\n
In granting the originating\u00a0 summons,\u00a0 Justice\u00a0 Watila declared\u00a0 that\u00a0 the
\ndefendants\u00a0 were duly served all the processes of the suit filed by\u00a0 the
\nSecretary of the National Caretaker Committee,\u00a0 but chose not to\u00a0 contest
\nthe facts.<\/p>\n
Justice Watila\u00a0 stated that court records indicate that the proceedings
\nand order of 10th August, 2016 and the interlocutory injunction of\u00a0 15th
\nAugust,\u00a0 2016 were served on the defendants with proof\u00a0 of\u00a0 service .<\/p>\n
Addressing journalists\u00a0 after the judgment,\u00a0 Counsel to\u00a0 Senator Ben Obi,
\nBarrister Dejo Lamikanra\u00a0 (SAN ) said the ruling gives effect to the
\nJudgment\u00a0 of 4th July, 2016 of the Federal High Court.<\/p>\n
Lamikanra\u00a0 (SAN ) said : “there is only one judgment with regards to the
\nvalidity\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 convention which held on the 21st of May in Port
\nHarcourt and that Judgment is the judgment of the Federal High Court in
\nPort Harcourt given on the 4th of July.\u00a0 That judgment\u00a0 is final and it
\nhas completely\u00a0 determined\u00a0 questions on the validity\u00a0 of the convention
\nand the\u00a0 validity\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 decisions of that convention.<\/p>\n
“A ruling or an opinion of a court of coordinate jurisdiction which
\nsuggests\u00a0 anything else must be discontinuanced. It is only the Court of
\nAppeal that can set aside the judgment of\u00a0 the\u00a0 Federal High Court. “<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has declared\u00a0 that\u00a0 the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is the executive authority in all matters concerning the party.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n