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A Federal High Court in Lagos and another one in Port Harcourt have delivered judgements that set them against each other in the current crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Court in Lagos this morning declared as illegal the caretaker committee constituted on Saturday by the PDP at its controversial National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
This morning too, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt granted an interim injunction restraining the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Professor Adewale Oladipo, National Secretary, who were removed from office at the PDP National Convention held on Saturday May 21, 2016, from parading themselves as National officers of the Party pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party.
Headed by a former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the caretaker committee is to take over the affairs of the party from the National Working Committee headed by the Acting National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
But on Tuesday, Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos declared the caretaker committee illegal, directing the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to enforce the order.
And almost at the same time, the court in Port Harcourt gave the National Caretaker Committee of the PDP headed by Sen. Markarfi, a boost with an order mandating INEC to recognise it in all matters pertaining the conduct of Primary Elections for Political Offices and the submission of the PDP List of Candidates for any elections to be conducted by INEC pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.
This contrasting judgements sets another stage for more crisis in the party.
On Monday, the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Wadata Plaza, was sealed up by police.