A High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has declared that the suspension of the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, still subsists.
The court gave a perpetual injunction restraining Secondus from parading himself as the National Chairman of the PDP.
Justice O. Gbasam, who presided, upheld Secondus’s suspension Friday in Suit No: PHC/2183/CS/2021, between Ibeawuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis Nna Amadi, Emmanuel Stephen Umezirike Onucha (as claimants) and Secondus and the PDP (defendants).
Earlier, counsel for the first defendant (Secondus), Godfrey Uwalaka, had attempted to stop the court’s judgement slated for Friday by making an oral application that an appeal had been entered into by the defendant.
Counsel for the claimants, Nwosuegbe Eze, urged the court to discountenance the purported appeal, noting that there was no motion before the court for a stay of execution and no motion to arrest the ruling of the court.
The trial judge, Justice Gbasam, dismissed the first defendant’s counsel’s oral application for lack of merit, saying it was not enough reason to stop the earlier slated ruling and judgement.
Gbasam, after careful review of the submissions made by the counsel in the matter, which last for about three hours, stated that the court had not seen any ground to rule against its earlier judgement delivered on August 23, 2021.
On the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter, he held that since the issue in contention (Secondus’ suspension) bordered on internal affairs of the party, applications challenging the court’s right to hear the matter lacked merit.
Similarly on the issue of fair hearing raised by counsel for the PDP (second defendant), Eugene Odey, the judge said the counsel had ample time to represent the client and the issue of fair hearing has no basis.
Justice Gbasam said it has been noticed that parties (counsels) who have bad cases and could not prove them have always used the issue of fair hearing to bamboozle the court.
The court stated that Secondus was suspended by his ward in Ikuru Town in Andoni Local Government Area for anti-party activities.
He explained that by the virtue of Secondus’s suspension, the first defendant has lost the right to function as national chairman of the party and any function carried out by him under suspension is invalid.
He held: “I hereby hold that the court has jurisdiction to hear the suit.
“I hold, therefore, that his suspension and having been acknowledged by the party in the state, is valid.
“He shall not so act as national chairman.
“His suspension still subsists.”
Speaking to journalists on the judgment, Uwalaka said he had expected the judge to suspend the ruling having informed the court that an appeal had been entered at the Court of Appeal.
He noted that all the reliefs sought after by the plaintiffs (claimants) were admitted, adding that he would approach his client for the next line of action.
Also, counsel for the claimants, Eze, said they were prepared to face the defendants at the Court of Appeal.
He said: “The PDP members’ (plaintiffs) reason for the suspension is because they were not satisfied with the way the chairman was handling the affairs of PDP at the national because there were lots of internal wrangling, divisions and people were leaving the party.
“They felt that his remaining as the chairman has caused grave harm and havoc to the party.
“That is why they (plaintiffs) took this action. And the court, this morning, confirmed it.”
Counsel for PDP, Odey, maintained that the court did not give them enough time to respond to the issues contained and their right of fair hearing was infringed upon.