Justice Mahkmud Lima of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt will on the 4th of July deliver judgment on the application by the embattled National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Alimodu Sheriff seeking to dispose the order against him.
Justice Lima had in May granted an order restraining Sheriff from parading himself as the National Chairman of the PDP, sought by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmad Markarfi.
When the matter was heard in court, the Counsel to the PDP, Oladejo Lamikanra said Sheriff and his group had no authority to challenge the court order because he had been removed as an Executive of the party.
He said Sheriff and his colleagues were calling for the cancellation of the Port Harcourt convention because they failed in the screening exercise of the party.
On his part, Counsel to Sheriff, Olabanji Oleyede told the court that the purported removal of his client was illegal.
He urged the court to remove the name of PDP from the suit as the members of the convention were not qualified to file such matters for PDP.
Meanwhile, the Presiding Judge, Justice Lima fixed the date after hearing submissions from both counsels.
He said all the written addresses will be studied while the case stand adjourned to July 4th for judgment.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Lamikanra who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, asked the court to dismiss the applications for lack of merit, adding that the national convention held in Port Harcourt was in line with the laid down decisions of the PDP.
The Senior Advocate said, “We are simply here to bring to the notice of the court that the Convention that was held here in Port Harcourt and the decisions that were reached are valid. That is the whole purpose of our originating summons.
“Only the court of Law can declare a particular action as legal or illegal but our position is that the convention was lawful, it is legal, it is backed by the PDP constitution and it was convened by the powers that is constitutionally recognised to conduct elections.”
Meanwhile, Sheriff’s Lawyer, Oleyede insisted that his client remains the National Chairman of the party
“There’s a already a court order restraining anyone from contesting election into the offices of the Chairman, the Secretary and the Auditor-General. That order subsists. Despite that order, they went to conduct the so called convention. For that reason alone, the national convention is illegal”, he said.
The PDP had been immersed in a leadership controversy that had caused an emergence of two factions now leading the party.
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