Court grants PDP right to hold national convention

The Appeal Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Friday , granted the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the right to hold its national convention billed for October 30 and 31, 2021.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Gabriel Kolawole held that the attempt by the applicant, Uche Secondus, to suspend the planned convention is an act of “self-induced urgency” to disrupt an ongoing lawful process of the party.

Justice Kolawole wondered why Secondus waited for too long to seek the stoppage of the process which had been communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the acting national chairman of the party, Yemi Akinwonmi, who Secondus duly handed over to.

Also, the judge held that Secondus did not oppose the notice of the convention written by the acting chairman to INEC and did not also oppose INEC replying to the PDP through the acting chairman.

However, the lawyer to Uche Secondus, Tayo Oyetibo, said his client will wait for the outcome of the main suit on his status as the chairman and a member of the party before the same court to determine whether or not to go on appeal.

He maintained that an outcome in favour of his client will definitely have a consequential effect on the convention scheduled for Abuja.