News Investigators/ The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, gave an order joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a suit filed by Sen. Samuel Anyanwu to stop his removal as party’s national secretary.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, who joined the PDP as 3rd defendant, also made an order joining Mr Sunday Udeh-Okoye, who called himself the valid national secretary as 4th defendant in the suit.
The judge equally joined Dr Ali Odela and Mr Setonji Koshoedo as 5th and 6th defendants respectively in the suit filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while Odela is said to be the national vice chairman, PDP’s South East, Koshoedo is said to be the deputy national secretary of the party.
When the matter was called on Friday, more lawyers announced appearance for parties seeking to be joined in the suit, besides PDP and Udeh-Okoye who had showed interest in the case on the last adjourned date.
While K.E. Oyinke announced appearance for Odela, J.A. Musa represented Koshoedo.
Meanwhile Paul-Harris represented the PDP while Kingsley Ode appeared for Udeh-Okoye.
Justice Ekwo then asked Mr Ken Njemanze, SAN, who was lawyer to Anyanwu, if he would be contesting the applications of parties seeking to be joined and he responded in the negative.
The judge subsequently joined the four interested parties after their lawyers moved and adopted their processes.
The judge therefore granted the plaintiff three days within which to file and serve his application and also given the defendants three days upon being served by the plaintiff to file and serve their responses.
He reminded parties of the subsisting order for accelerated hearing of the matter.
Justuce Ekwo, who warned parties against late filing, said everyone must file their applications two days before hearing.
He warned that counsel would personally be penalised if they failed to do so for any reason.
The judge consequently adjourned the matter until March 13 for hearing.
Anyanwu had, on Feb. 19, in the fresh suit, sued INEC and the PDP’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun, over alleged plan to remove him as party’s national secretary.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Anyanwu, in the ex-parte motion: marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025 dated and filed on Feb. 13 by Njemanze, had sought two prayers.
He sought an order of interim injunction, restraining INEC from accepting, acting on or giving effect to any correspondence, letter, document, mail, notice, form and or written submission purported to emanate from the PDP not signed by him pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
He also sought an order of interim injunction restraining Damagun from dispatching to INEC any correspondence purportedly emanating from PDP signed by the acting chair and not counter signed by him, pending the hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed simultaneously with this motion ex-parte.
Anyanwu, in the affidavit in support of the motion, said he was the party’s national secretary.
He said he was duly elected as the national secretary at the PDP’s National Convention held on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, 2021 in Abuja.
However, Udeh-Okoye, in a motion on notice filed by Paul Erokoro, SAN, said he is the substantive National Secretary of the PDP.
He said the chairman, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), by a special commendation, on behalf of himself and members of all the BoT, commended the NWC of the party for its display of courage, respect for the rule of law and the constitution of the party in affirming him as the substantive National Secretary.
The PDP, in its application for joinder filed by Ogbole, also backed Udeh-Okoye’s submission.
Besides, Odela and Koshoedo, in their separate motions on notice, said Anyanwu’s reliefs in the suit are against the PDP and parties seeking to be joined as defendants.
They argued that Anyanwu filed the case in bad faith with intent to undermine the constitution of the political party.
They said the suit is an abuse of court process as similar suit is pending at the Supreme Court.
NAN
