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Court restrains PDP, govs, others from dissolving pro-Wike PDP excos in Rivers
The Federal High Court in Abuja, has restrained the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in Rivers State.
The court also restrained them from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local governments and ward levels who are pro Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Rivers.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee led by Aaron Chukwuemeka and his counterparts at the local governments and ward levels.
Justice Lifu also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local governments and ward leadership of the PDP in Rivers State who were said to have been elected along with the State Executive Committee this year at various congresses of the party.
In an enrolled order obtained by our correspondent, the court ordered that on no ground shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive Committees at the State, local governments and the wards be truncated by the defendants.
Besides, the judge also ordered that the defendants must not in anyway allow or permit any other group or persons to perfume the duties and functions of the PDP State, local governments and Ward officers elected between July 37 and August 31, 2024.
Plaintiffs in the ex-parte application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, are Aaron Chukwuemeka, Oye Fubara Igenewari and ThankGod Bekee, who sued on behalf of themselves and State, local governments and ward executive committees respectfully.
The defendants are PDP, Umar Damagun, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BOT, INEC and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of Governors Forum as 1st to 9th defendants.
In the ex-parte motion argued on their behalf by Dr Joshua Musa, SAN, the plaintiffs had alleged that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the legally constituted state, local governments and wards executives committees of PDP in Rivers State.
They also alleged that the defendants including the PDP governors were also attempting to put in place interim committees to replace them to perform the duties and functions of the state, local governments and wards executives committees of the PDP in Rivers State.
Plaintiffs asserted that unless the defendants are restrained from carrying out unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or recognizing any other person or groups other than those elected at the state, local governments and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the judge has ordered the plaintiffs to file a fresh undertaking to indemnify all the defendants in case it is discovered that the restraining orders issued against the defendants ought not to have been granted.
Hearing in the motion on notice instituted by the plaintiffs against the nine defendants has been fixed for October 4, 2024.
A coalition of youth organisations has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to reconsider its wanted tag on socialite, Dr Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, OFR.
The organisations, Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative said this in a joint press statement they issued on Thursday in Abuja.
According to them, the declaration of Achimugu wanted by the anti-corruption agency came to them as a rude shock.
The joint statement was signed by Comrade Emma Niboro and Ali Ameh for Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative, respectively.
They described Achimugu as a dedicated friend of the youths, who had always shown commitment to the welfare and care of the downtrodden.
According to the youth coalition, “we know the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, as a man who came with utmost zeal to sanitize the agency. He has already demonstrated this and we are proud of his achievements so far.
“However, we urge him to resist pressure from politicians, which is a plague that has dwarfed EFCC for several years of its existence.
“The commission had hitherto remained a tool for politicians to undue their perceived political foes and this has always rubbed off on the credibility of the agency.
“The case of Achumugu doesn’t appear to be different in any way, as the haste with which she was declared wanted showed there is a hand of Esau and voice of Jacob.
“Our appeal is that the commission should withdraw the wanted tag on her and give her ample time to report to the commission, as she has never been indicted of any offence whether in Nigeria or outside the country.”
While noting that Achimugu is a global figure, they added that they can always vouch for her integrity.
“We know her, she has always been of immense help to the youths and other members of the society.
“Her closeness to certain politicians should not be used as a tool to persecute or harass her,” the youths further stated.
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.