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On Tuesday, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court extended the order restraining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from suspending or expelling Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers from the party.
Justice James Omotosho gave the directive after the governor’s lawyer, Joshua Musa, and the PDP’s attorney, Johnson Usman, agreed on March 6 to argue their case.
Mr Omotosho had, on February 2, given a restraining order against the party and others listed in the face of Mr Wike’s motion dated February 2.
Others joined in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023 include its National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC), national chairman of PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, national secretary of PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as first to sixth respondents, respectively.
The governor is praying for an order directing all parties to maintain the status quo and stay all actions relating to the threat to suspend or expel him by the first to fifth respondents, pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.
Mr Wike also asked for an order of the court granting him leave to serve the motion on notice, originating motion and all other court processes in the suit on the first to fifth respondents by substituted means by pasting all the said processes at the PDP national Secretariat.
After hearing Mr Wike’s lawyer, the judge granted all the reliefs sought.
“All parties in this suit shall maintain peace and shall not take any action or step or act that may make the outcome of the motion on notice dated and filed on 2nd February 2023 nugatory and worthless,” the judge stated. “That any act or step or action made so as to make the outcome of the motion on notice dated and filed on 2nd February 2023, nugatory shall be a nullity.”
The judge added, “That leave is hereby granted to the applicant (Wike) to serve the originating motion, motion on notice and all other processes of this court in this suit on the 1st to 5th respondents by substituted means to wit, by pasting all the said processes of court on PDP national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”
(NAN)
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