Party blasts Judge, insists convention will hold in August

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Ahmed Makarfi, has reacted to the

Justice Okon Abang had declared the National convention of the party which took place in May as illegal.

In a reaction to the ruling, the Markarfi-led faction said the judgement was "objectionable, questionable and very strange to say the least in the history of Nigeria Judiciary."

The party's spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said the judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt was "very clear" that the National Caretaker Committee was duly constituted and recognized; and in line with that, the scheduled National Convention for August 17, 2016 will hold.

"We have just received information that Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an Order of Interlocutory Injunction stopping our scheduled National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but we want to state that the Judgment of the 4th of July, 2016 supersedes any Ex-Parte Order or Interlocutory Injunctions. So, our National Convention will hold as scheduled in Port Harcourt, Rivers State" Prince Adeyeye said.

"Let Nigerians recall the two former Judgments before the Port Harcourt Judgment, declared that Senator Sheriff is not qualified to be a National Chairman given that the PDP Constitution 2014 which he claimed brought him to power is not in existence and therefore, null and void.

"The PDP wants Nigerians to know that Justice Okon Abang is deliberately engaging in acts of derailing the Country’s democracy given the fact that his Court is not an Appeal Court that can set aside any Judgment. He has penchant for abuse of court processes and actions of legal impunity.

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"This Judge Nigerians will recall, issued Judgment against the Governor of Abia State that led to INEC re-issuing another Certificate of Return to a man who did not contest election thereby causing unnecessary hardship on the people of that State. He also issued an Order to INEC to recognize Senator Sheriff’s candidates in Edo and Ondo states before they could even plan their purported congress in Edo.

"In today’s case, this same Judge out rightly denied the PDP representation in Court which is unheard of by serving the Plaintiff (Sheriff & Co.) who instituted the case also as PDP (defendants). His excesses are extremely absurd, strange and unbecoming of a Judge who enjoys putting the Judiciary on the spot.

"We therefore bring this matter before the highest level of judiciary in the Country to stop this Judge forthwith from waging war against the PDP. We are equally calling on Nigerians and the international community to compel Nigeria Judiciary to address Justice Abang’s excesses before he kills our hard earned democracy," Adeyeye said.

The leadership tussle in the PDP began when it dissolved the National Working Committee headed by Sheriff and constituted a Caretaker Committee led by Senator Makarfi to oversee the affairs of the party.