In three days, two Nigerian judges have delivered contradictory rulings for Prince Uche Secondus, Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, one barring him and another reinstating him to his office.
Justice Nusirat. I. Umar, a vacation Judge of the Kebbi State High Court, has ordered Uche Secondus to return to his position as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman.
Justice Umar gave the order in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday while ruling in suit no: KB/AC/M. 170/2021.
This was as Justice O. Gbasah of High Court in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state, suspended Secondus and barred him from parading himself as PDP national chairman on Tuesday, August 24.
Umar said she was satisfied after reading the affidavit of the respondents that an interim order be granted on the purported suspension of Secondus pending judgment.
She granted leave to Secondus “to continue exercising all the constitutional powers of the office of Chairman of PDP (second defendant) as enshrined in both 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended and the Peoples Democratic Party’s constitution…”
The party leader will remain in his position pending the hearing and final determination of applicants’ motion on notice.
Party members, Yahaya Usman, Abubakar Mohammed and Bashar Suleman, are the claimants/applicants in the matter.
The Rivers State-born Secondus and the PDP are the defendants/respondents.
The opposition had appointed Deputy National Chairman (South), Yemi Akinwonmi as acting National Chairman.
Some high ranking members of the PDP including governors have asked Secondus to resign over mass defection that hit the party
