Olusegun Ariyo
Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has turned down the request of the embattled National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC from giving effect to his removal as Secretary of the party.
Rather, the judge ordered Anyanwu to put INEC and other defendants in his new suit on notice to appear in court to enable him to hear their sides.
Anyanwu, on Wednesday, approached the Federal High Court with an ex-parte application, praying the judge to restrain INEC or any of its agents from receiving or giving effect to correspondences and written submissions that emanated or may emanate from the PDP except those signed by him.
In the application argued by his counsel, K.C.O. Njemanze (SAN), Anyanwu also asked Justice Ekwo to restrain Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagun from forwarding any correspondence, documents, or written submissions to INEC unless they are signed by him.
After hearing the submissions of the plaintiff, Justice Ekwo, in a brief ruling, held that after reviewing Anyanwu’s averments in support of his suit, he was convinced that a case of urgency was established.
The judge, however, said that he would not grant the request of the plaintiff through an ex-parte application but would prefer to hear from the defendants before issuing any order.
He therefore ordered Anyanwu to put INEC and Damagun on notice regarding the existence of the new suit to enable them to appear in court and have their sides heard.
Justice Ekwo directed the plaintiff to serve the court processes on the two defendants and fixed February 24 for the case to be heard.
