From Geoffrey
Anyanwu, Awka
A High Court sitting in Awka, the Anambra State capital, has dismissed a suit filed by the dissolved State Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop the Professor Alphonsus Nwosu-led State Caretaker Committee from presenting the governorship candidate of the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The suit was filed by Afam Afunanya and two others against the National Caretaker Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Markafi and the National Secretary, Senator Ben Obi.
The plaintiffs had filed an originating summons asking the court to restrain the PDP from holding a three-man adhoc delegate election and prayed for an injunction restraining the party from conducting the primary and submitting the name of a candidate to INEC.
The counsel for PDP, Clems Ezika and Makarfi’s counsel, Ernest Nwoye filed different preliminary objections to the suit challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter. They also filed a counter affidavit to the originating summon in which they contended that the state Caretaker Committee of the party, was properly constituted by the national leadership of the party.
In his judgement, Justice Clement Okaa dismissed the suit in line with the Supreme Court’s decision in PDP vs Senator Ali Modu Sheriff on the following grounds: “That the National Working Committee has the powers to dissolve all the factional executives in Anambra State; that the PDP has the powers to appoint the Caretaker Committee of which Prof. Nwosu is the chairman and Josephine Anenih is the secretary.
and that all the actions performed and carried on by the PDP was in line with the party guideline and the constitution.”
