Amaechi’s Suspension: Court Restrains PDP: …Amaechi Not Leaving PDP, CPS Assures …As NBA Urges Resolution Of NGF Conflict Posted by admin on Jun 7th, 2013 and filed under Front Pix. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. A Port Harcourt High Court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji, yesterday granted an application sought by the Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi to restrain the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from further action in a suit he filed to challenge his purported suspension from the party by the National Working Committee (NWC), Abuja, recently. At the hearing of the case, yesterday in Port Harcourt, Governor Amaechi through his counsel, Adebayo O. Adebogun (SAN) submitted, among other things, that the court had an unfettered jurisdiction to hear and entertain the matter, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) NWC had no right to suspend a serving governor. Adebogun urged the court to first determine the application seeking for an interlocutory injunction before proceeding to hear the application brought by the defence counsel which bordered on the issue of jurisdiction of the court. He noted that the application for interlocutory injunction had long been served on the defence counsel before they introduced, motion bordering on jurisdiction , adding that he was served last Wednesday. However, in their own arguments, the Peoples Democratic Party and the chairman of PDP, Rivers State chapter through their counsels, Donald C. Denwingwe (SAN) and E. Ukala (SAN) posited that the court could not rule on the interlocutory injunction except it first determined the issue of the jurisdiction which bordered on the legitimacy of the court to hear the matter. They said, “ it is only when the issue of jurisdiction is settled that our clients can know whether they are in court or not”, adding that they had not been properly invited by the court. The two Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) posited that the matter was an inter-party affair which, according to them, the court could not interfere in. But in his ruling, the trial judge, Justice Emmanuel Ndubusi Ogbuji while agreeing with the positions canvassed by the defence counsels that the issue of jurisdiction be first determined, upheld the submission as submitted by Governor Amaechi’s counsel that the court had the jurisdiction to entertain the matter. Justice Ogbuji averred that when the determination of jurisdiction becomes compelling, the court, he said, must first decide it. He, however, ordered that all the parties should maintain the status quo in the matter and respect all the processes before the court, and adjourned the matter to July 8, 2013 for continuation on the matter . It would be recalled that Governor Chibuike Amaechi was suspended by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party penultimate Monday which forced the governor to approach the High Court to seek an injunction to restrain the party from further action pending the determination of the matter before the court. Speaking to journalists shortly after the ruling, the counsel to Governor Amaechi, Adebogun Adebayo (SAN) said that the import of the ruling was that the purported suspension would not have any effect on the governor or infringe on his right in the party until the determination of the matter in the court. In his comments, counsel to PDP, Donald Denwingwe (SAN) said they had no problem with the court pronouncement. In a related development, Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi has restated his earlier stance that he has no intentions of leaving the PDP. This is contrary to rumours being peddled by the suspended publicity Secretary of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Rivers State chapter, Jerry Needam. Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, David Iyofor, in a statement dismissed as outright lies and figment of the devious imagination of Jerry Needam, his claims the Governor Amaechi had approached ACN leadership to join the party. “ Governor Amaechi has no intentions of leaving the PDP. And everyone knows that he’s already fighting his purported suspension in court. He believes, it’s a PDP issue and in due course the matter would be resolve. He has never met with anyone to discuss his leaving the PDP to join ACN or APC or any other political party”, Iyofor stated. “ Jerry Needam is a joker and jester that no one should take seriously at all. He’s just doing the bidding of his paymasters- a faction of PDP in Rivers State- that is doing everything they can, no matter how absurd and bizarre, so they can accuse Governor Amaechi of anti-party activities. It is instructive to note that just a couple of days back, this same Jerry Needam was suspended from ACN for hobnobbing and working with the Felix Obuah faction of the PDP in Rivers State against the interests of ACN. That leaves the question: who does Jerry Needam speaks for? Certainly, not for ACN. He can only be speaking for himself and his paymasters who are well known to Rivers people. No one is deceived by his antics and comical statements”, Iyofor concluded. Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr Okey Wali has asked members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to resolve their problems as quickly as possible or in alternative dissolve the union and go ahead to promote good governance in their states. Expressing concern over the crisis rocking the NGF in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the NBA President, Mr. Okey Wali, warned the forum against deviating from its objectives. According to him, the recent activities of the NGF were an eloquent testimony to the primacy of politics over provision of good governance and development for Nigerians. He queried, “if not, how can the 2015 elections be in the front burner of discourse at this point in time when the election date is still far? One cannot but wonder if election of our leaders is now about acquisition of political power or display of power or for development”. The NBA President, therefore, advised members of the forum to concentrate on the business of governance so as not to incur the wrath of the electorate. Speaking at the event, the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, who, expressed concern over the way and manner resources were being expropriated in the country, decried the capitalist economic philosophy, describing it as the root cause of inequality and poverty in the country. In his words, “You have a contradiction of a situation where land, which is one of the factors of production, is communalised by the state while all other factors of production remain in private hands. I therefore call on the Bar to lead the fight for re-establishing the federal principles in line with our federal structure where federating units should also have the right to exercise control and seek greater participation of our people in the oil industry”. In her address, the state Chief Judge, Justice Kate Abiri urged the NBA to take a holistic look at the legal profession towards enhancing quick dispensation of justice in the country. On his part, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Francis Egele, highlighted Governor Dickson’s achievements which include institutionalising good governance among others.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:06:32 +0000