Appeal Court Adjourns Hearing Of Application Seeking To Stop PDP Convention

A file photo of chairs at the venue of a PDP congress.

The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of arguments on an application seeking to stop the Peoples Democratic Party from conducting its national convention.

A panel of three justices led by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned the hearing till 12pm on Thursday to allow new parties who applied to join in the case to make their contributions.

It is, however, not clear if the court will make any pronouncement on the adjourned date.

In its bid to resolve the internal crisis that rocked the Uche Secondus led National Working Committee of the party, the PDP had announced a special convention to elect a set of new national officers.

The convention is scheduled to take place on October 30 and 31 in Abuja.

But this decision by the party did not go well with Secondus – the suspended PDP National Chairman – who believes the conduct of the convention will abruptly end his tenure that is due to expire in December.

He later filed an application as part of the processes in the ongoing litigation over his suspension from the party, to stop the PDP from proceeding with the convention as planned.

Amid the controversy sparked by his suspension, a high court in Rivers – on September 10 – affirmed Secondus’ suspension from the party at his ward in Ikuru Town in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.

This was, however, challenged by the PDP which filed an application at the appellate court to test the validity of Secondus’ suspension from the party.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, the appellate court struck out the application after the new counsel to the PDP, Sunday Ameh, said upon going through the processes, he did not find the need to continue with the application.

Following the suspension of Secondus, PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Yomi Akinwonmi, has been serving as the party’s national chairman in an acting capacity.