SAN FRANCISCO, September 07, (THEWILL) –The two warring factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Saturday traded words over the interpretation of a court order issued on Friday by a Federal Court in Abuja via which the police sealed of the national headquarters of the Abubakar Baraje led faction of the party, known as the New PDP.
The office located on Panama Street in highbrow Maitama, Abuja, is being remodelled.
A statement by Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the faction’s national secretary described the seal off of its office as the “height of impunity” saying the action was taken based on a non-existent court injunction which the Bamanga Tukur led faction claimed to have obtained on Friday.
But the Tukur faction in a statement said the injunction granted by the Federal High Court clearly affirms the leadership of the party under the Chairmanship of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
The party said in ordering that the parties in the dispute maintain status quo ante bellum until the determination of the case, “the court clearly granted the request of the PDP that the group led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje should not operate or be recognized by INEC,” the party said in a statement by its national publicity secretary, chief Olisa Metuh.
THEWILL had previously reported that Justice Elvis Chukwu of the Federal High Court Friday threw out a fresh application by the Bamanga Tukur-led faction of the party to stop the Baraje-led group from parading themselves as the national executives of the party.
Presiding judge, Justice Chukwu, refused to grant the application when the application was moved as he ordered that the respondents be put on notice and that the notice should be served through substituted means.
An ex-parte motion filed on behalf of the Tukur-led faction by Chief Tochukwu Onwubufor, SAN, had asked the court to restrain Baraje and other executive members of the new PDP from parading themselves as the national executives of the party.
But when the application was moved, Justice Chukwu said: “Although I am not afraid of granting an ex parte application especially when it is obvious of causing anarchy, however, I owe a duty to maintain a balance. What I want to do is order that the respondents are put on notice.”
Justice Chukwu, who fixed September 12 for the hearing of the motion on notice, also ordered that parties should maintain status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the suit.
Oyinlola’s statement reads in part: “The whole world knows that Justice E. Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday refused to grant Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s application for an ex parte injunction against our party’s executive. The Judge asked parties to maintain the status quo. His judgement was a reinforcement of an early order of the Lagos High Court which also asked parties to maintain the status quo. Now, should Nigerians conclude that Tukur’s interpretation of status quo is this crude display of naked power and undisguised impunity?
“We are not at all surprised at this occurrence given the fact that Tukur issued a statement on Friday evening deliberately seeking to mislead the media and the public that Justice Chukwu granted him an injunction against us. We are happy that the ever vigilant Nigerian press ignored him and his falsehood.
Now, he is not only wilfully disobeying the various courts which have made pronouncements on this matter, he is spicing up his love for impunity with this reckless misuse of state power by misleading the police.”
“We call for an immediate removal of the siege to our secretariat. We call on the Inspector General of police to order the immediate removal of his men from our office. Doing so, we believe, will serve the interest of justice, rule of law and democracy. Nigeria is a country ruled by law and not by might and force.
“We hasten to say that if this move is aimed at breaking our spirit, that goal is definitely off the mark. We are determined to rescue our party from the lawlessness and crass arrogance that have defined the character of the Tukur leadership since inception. Our party needs that deliverance, its members deserve the change we have brought into it,” the statement said.
Oyinlola wondered why Tukur, who appeared before the party’s elders on Friday ostensibly in search of peace, could, in less than 12 hours later, start another round of conflict.
But the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in his statement applauded the sealing off of the secretariat opened by the Baraje group noting that such was in line with the order of the court which held that the splinter group should not operate or parade themselves as leaders of the PDP until the hearing of the suit before it.
“Our attention has been drawn to reports by a section of the media erroneously suggesting that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja did not accede to our prayer that INEC should not recognize the so-called new PDP led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje.
“For the avoidance doubt, the position of the Federal High Court is clear. By ordering that the two parties maintain status quo ante bellum, the court has clearly ordered the Baraje group to stop all its activities including operating a secretariat while it affirmed the leadership of the PDP under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
“By the order of the court, no person is authorized by law to open a secretariat or operate under the name, colour and flag of the PDP other than the one led by Alhaji Bamanaga Tukur. The sealing off of the secretariat opened by the Baraje group under the name, colour and flag of the PDP is therefore in order and in line with the law”, the statement said.
The national leadership charged all members “to close ranks and continue to remain steadfast to the constitution of the party especially as it marches on the victory in the 2015 general elections.”
THEWILL could not get the spokesman of the police force, Mr. Frank Mba to respond to questions for this story as his phones were unreachable.
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