A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reinstated the Shehu Sagagi-led state and 44 local governments’ executives of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, pending the determination of the substantive case before it.
Ruling on the matter on Thursday, Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo granted all the prayers of the Sagagi-led executives and warned the PDP national leadership against taking any action that will undermine them.
Recall that Justice Taiwo had on March 29 issued an order, restraining the party from dissolving the excos and constituting a caretaker committee, pending the determination of the suit.
But on the same day, the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP allegedly avoided service of the court order and went ahead to dissolve the state, local and ward executive committees and constituted a 7-man caretaker committee in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, however rejected the caretaker committee forwarded by the party, in compliance with Justice Taiwo’s order, which restrained the party from tampering with the state and local government executives.
But at the commencement of hearing of the matter on April 7, counsel to PDP, Adedamola Fanokun denied that the party had constituted any caretaker committee in Kano.
When the judge asked about the swearing-in of the new caretaker committee, the lawyer said nothing of that nature happened.
But in a change of decision on Thursday, a new lawyer to the PDP, A.O. Dada, admitted that the party did indeed constitute a caretaker committee and prayed the court to uphold the decision of the party.
The lawyer cited judgment of the same judge on a similar case, but the judge overruled that the cases were entirely different.
Justice Taiwo therefore adjourned the case to Friday May 13 for further hearing.
