By our reporter/ The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a new twist on Monday as a High Court in Rivers State granted an interim order restraining Mr Uche Secondus from parading or acting as the National Chairman of the party.
The order was given by Justice Okogbule Gbasam of the Degema Division of the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.
“That an order of interim injunction is granted restraining the first defendant from parading himself as a member of the second defendant or national chaiman of the defendant or performing the functions of national chairman of the second defendant or any committee of the second defendants at ward, local government or state level or calling for any ward, local government or state congress of the second defendant or setting up committees for such congresses or participating in any activity of the second defendant whatsoever whilst on suspension as a member of the second defendant pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction,” he said.
The order of the vacation court follows a motion ex parte marked PHC/2183/CS/2021 and filed by four persons – Ibeawuchi Alex, Dennis Amadi, Emmanuel Stephen, and Umeziriki Onucha.
Secondus and the main opposition party were listed as the first and second respondents to the suit.
According to documents signed by the Assistant Chief Registrar (Litigation) of the court, Patricia Victor-Nwoka, Justice Gbasam also ordered Secondus to stop parading himself as a member of the PDP.
He made the order after reading the affidavit in support of the motion ex parte and the written address, as well as heard the submissions of the counsel for the applicants.
Justice Gbasam made an order granting leave to serve by substituted means the originating summons, motion on notice, all orders made by the court, as well as all subsequent processes on Secondus by pasting them on the gate of his house in the state capital, and by publishing same in a newspaper.
He also granted the request to serve by substituted means all orders made by the court on the respondents and by publishing same in a newspaper.
The ruling of the vacation court is the latest in the series of events triggered by the crisis rocking the national leadership of the PDP.
A former spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign, Kasim Afegbua, had accused Secondus and the leadership of the party of committing a series of offences.
However, the controversy has taken a new twist with the court order restraining Secondus from parading as the PDP national chairman, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
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