PDP Crisis: Which Court Order Will Police Obey? Lagos Or PortHarcourt Order?

 

Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos has declared as invalid the caretaker committee constituted over the weekend to take over the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party from its acting National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff.

The judge, in a ruling on Monday, directed the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to enforce his order, barring the members of the constituted caretaker committee from taking over the affairs of the party.

Details later…

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has granted an interim injunction restraining the immediate past National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Professor Adewale Oladipo who were removed from office at the PDP National Convention held on Saturday May 21, 2016, from parading themselves as National officers of the Party pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to a statement personally signed by the presiding judge, Justice A. M. Liman, the court granted a restraining order on any member of the National Working Committee of the PDP who was removed from office by the Party’s National Convention in Port Harcourt from receiving nominations and or submitting names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as officers or candidates of the PDP in whatever capacity pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice brought by the Party. In addition, INEC was restrained by the Court from according or continuing to accord any recognition to Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, Professor Adewale Oladipo or any or all members of the National Working Committee of the PDP removed from office at the Party’s National Convention in Port Harcourt, as officers or organs of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. The National Caretaker Committee of the PDP headed by Sen. Ahmed Markarfi, former Governor of Kaduna State, also got a boost with an order of the Court mandating INEC to recognise it in all matters pertaining the conduct of Primary Elections for Political Offices and the submission of the PDP List of Candidates for any elections to be conducted by INEC pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.