A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, yesterday, refused the applications by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stay its June 9, 2021 judgment sacking the party’s executive council in Anambra State.
Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, sitting at the Maitama division of the court, specifically dismissed three applications filed by the party in respect to the subject matter.
Meanwhile, the court further voided the delegates’ election of the PDP held on June 10 and 11 to elect a three-man ad-hoc ward delegate that would participate in the voting at its primary schedule for June 26, 2021.
In his ruling on the applications, Justice Adeniyi, held that the three applicants – the PDP, Ndubisi Nwobu and Uchenna Obiora – failed to make out a case to warrant the grant of their application that sought to stay the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.
Justice Adeniyi, who came down hard on the applicants for earlier denigrating the court in their reaction to the judgment, held that they did not show that the non-staying of the judgment would either render their appeals nugatory or make it impossible for the party to conduct its primary for the forthcoming governorship election.
The judge voided all the activities engaged in by the party since June 9 when the judgment was delivered, including the elections it conducted on June 10 and 11 to elect a three-man ad-hoc ward delegate that would participate in the voting at the primary of the PDP scheduled for June 26, 2021.
Justice Adeniyi said the statement made on June 9, by the state secretary of the PDP Anambra in which he disparaged the court and its judgment was an affront to the court, adding that they do not expect a court they have insulted to grant them an indulgence.
The June 9 judgment, which they sought to stay was on a suit marked: HC/CV/774/2021 filed by Samuel Anyakolah (for himself and all local government chairmen and ward executives that emerged from the Anambra PDP congress conducted on November 28 and December 1, 2017 under the supervision of Chukwudi Umeaba, as acting chairman state caretaker committee.
The judge agreed with the plaintiff/claimant that the PDP violated its constitution in the conduct of the South East zonal congress of March 6, 2021 and the appointments made therein.
