By Saawua Terzungwe , Victor Edozie & Vicctor Sorokwu
There is more trouble for the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, as his ward, Ward 5 in Ikuru town, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State has suspended him.
The ward chairman of the party, George Christopher, announced this yesterday at the party’s extraordinary meeting at the party’s secretariat in Ikuru town.
Secondus was earlier suspended by a High Court in Port Harcourt sequel to the crisis ragging in the opposition party.
Justice O. Gbasam of Degema Judicial Division granted an interim injunction restraining Secondus from parading himself as chairman and member of the PDP.
This was sequel to the consideration of an ex-parte application in suit number PHC/2183/CS/2021 filed by Ibeabuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis Nna Amadi, Emmanuel Stephen and Umezirike Onucha against Uche Secondus (1st defendant) and the PDP (2nd defendant).
The judge, after reading the affidavit in support of the motion of ex-parte, as well as the written address, and after hearing the submission of H. A. Bello, counsel to applicants, granted the order.
But a few days after, a High Court in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, reinstated Secondus and mandated him to resume duty immediately.
Justice Nusirat Umar, in a ruling, said after studying the affidavit and written address in support of the ex-parte application, she was satisfied that an interim order should be granted on the purported suspension of Prince Secondus pending the determination of the suit, number KB/HC/M.171/2021.
“An order of this honourable court is granting leave to the first respondent (Secondus) to continue exercising all the constitutional powers of the office of chairman of the PDP (second defendant) as enshrined in both 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended and the Peoples Democratic Party’s constitution pending the hearing and final determination of applicant’s motion on notice,” she said.
The suit was filed by three concerned members of the party – Yahaya Usman, Abubakar Mohammed and Bashar Suleiman – through their counsel, Ibrahim Jibril.
But a Cross River High Court also issued an order restraining him from presiding over the NEC meeting and parading himself as chairman of the party, after the Kebbi order.
Prince Secondus hails from Ikuru town in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Chairman of Ward 5 Ikuru of PDP, George Christopher, who announced Secondus’ suspension yesterday, said 11 of the 17 executive members of the ward endorsed the suspension.
He said the ward executives of the party met on August 31, 2021 and deliberated on the issues affecting the party, adding that the decision to suspend Secondus was taken at the meeting by the ward executives.
When contacted for confirmation, the Special Adviser to Secondus on Media, Ike Abonyi, in a text message said, “I’m not aware but only NEC of PDP can suspend a national officer.”
Court sacks Buni, stops LG congress
A High Court sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, has stopped the scheduled APC local government congresses slated for October 4 , 2021.
The court presided over by Justice Umukoro also restrained Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State from parading as Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee until the determination of a substantive suit before the court.
