By Tom Zaneni, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, on Saturday, conducted its ward congresses across the state despite two subsisting court orders stopping the party from carrying out the exercise
The NETWORK learnt that several officials of the party collected materials for the exercise at its Aba Road secretariat in Port Harcourt for distribution to the various wards in the 23 local government areas.
The party members later moved with the materials to their various councils in different vehicles.
Recall that a Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Charles Wali had on Friday restrained the PDP, its National Chairman Iliya Damagum, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, or their agents, from gathering anywhere in Rivers State to hold ward, local government, and state congresses until the court hears and determines the suit before it.
The suit was filed by PDP members from each of the 23 local government areas seeking stoppage of the conduct of the Rivers congresses.
Justice Wali also directed the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, the Director-General of the Department of State Security Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to enforce the order.
On July 16, Justice Sobere Biambo had also issued a similar restraining order in a suit filed by a PDP member, David Omereji and 10 others against the party, its national chairperson, the national financial secretary and the national organizing secretary.
“An interim order is hereby issued stopping or suspending the PDP congress in Rivers State scheduled to hold on July 27 or any other date or location pending the determination of the motion on notice already filed”, the order read in part.
However, after the restraining order issued by Justice Biambo’s court, another Federal High Court sitting in Abuja issued a counter order allowing the PDP to proceed with the exercise.
Justice Peter Lifu in his ruling barred the DSS, the police, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and seven others from “stopping, truncating or disrupting the congresses.”
The PDP had scheduled its congresses to commence on July 27 across the country with ward congresses, followed by local government congresses on August 26, and state congresses in September.
The NETWORK gathered that the exercise took place in Obio Akpor, Khana, Ahoada East, among others.
New officers are expected to be elected from the congresses to run the affairs of the party at the ward, local government and state levels in Rivers State.
