PH
Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Tuesday nullified the South-west zonal congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held last Saturday in Akure, reports Punch.
The judge declared the exercise null and void.
The judge, who held that the congress was held in defiance of a restraining order made by him on May 11, 2016, said the court had to “firmly stand in support of its own order to prevent litigants from turning court cases into a of game of chess.”
The Nation reports that The judge had, last Wednesday, restrained the PDP and its National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, from conducting any election into the party’s South-west Zonal Executive Committee.
But, PDP said the order was made without the parties being heard.
The judge made the order following an application filed by the incumbent Zonal Secretary, Pegba Otemolu, who sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Sheriff and PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo.
Otemolu had claimed that the four-year tenure of the current PDP South-west zonal Executive members began on October 11, 2014, would not end until October 11, 2018.
Otemoluf, through his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede,on Tuesday in a motion on notice, sought an order nullifying the congress held in Akure for being in violation of a court order.
Oluyede said the defendants were served with the order and originating processes and were, therefore, aware of the court action yet went ahead with the congress.
Ruling, Justice Buba nullified the congress, holding that it was conducted in defiance of the court’s order. He said it was in breach of the doctrine of lis pendense (a notice that a suit was pending).
