In Abuja, a Federal High Court has barred Uche Secondus, erstwhile leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, from attending party assemblies while a pending motion awaits adjudication.
The National Chairman, Secretary of the Party, National Executive Council, and Board of Trustees received a directive to refrain from permitting Secondus to partake in any of their gatherings until the lawsuit reaches a verdict.
Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered the ruling in response to an ex-parte motion filed by Titus Jones, a Rivers State PDP member.
In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/440/2024, Uche Secondus, the PDP, acting PDP chairman Umar Damagun, PDP Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, PDP National Executive Committee, PDP National Working Committee, PDP Board of Trustees, and the Independent National Electoral Commission are listed as the first to eighth defendants, respectively.
The plaintiff had requested an injunction to prevent the NEC, NWC, party chairman, secretary, and BoT from permitting Secondus to participate in any of its meetings until the motion on notice is heard and decided.
Jones also prayed the court to stop Secondus from attending any meeting of the party pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
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In his ruling dated April 5, 2024, a copy which was sighted by our correspondent on Monday, Ekwo granted all the reliefs of the plaintiff.
It partly read, ‘Order is hereby made restraining the fourth defendant, his agents, servants, subordinates, officers howsoever described from giving any notice of a meeting of the second defendant be it caucus meetings, meetings of the National Executive Committee (fifth defendant) or Board of Trustees (seventh defendant) or any other meeting however called to the furst defendant who has been suspended from the second defendant pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice
‘Order is hereby made restraining the first defendant from attending any meeting of the second defendant, be it caucus meetings, meetings of the National Executive Committee (fifth defendant) or Board of Trustees (seventh defendant) or any other meeting howsoever described participating in the proceedings, deliberations of any such meeting pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.’
However, the case was adjourned until April 12, 2024, specifically for the motion on notice to be heard.