Posts
Court declines jurisdiction on ward
congresses
Enugu PDP Crisis: Judge withdraws from
case
Tobi Soniyi in Abuja, Christopher Isiguzo in
Enugu and Bassey Inyang in Calabar
The secretariat of the Cross River State
chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), located along Murtala Muhammed
Highway, Calabar, was in the early hours
yesterday rocked by explosion suspected to
be a bomb blast.
The incident happened as the party was
gearing up to distribute materials to hold its
ward congress, which was rescheduled by its
national secretariat after the one it held on
November 1 was annulled.
Though no life was lost, it was gathered that
the secretariat of the party was slightly
affected as the impact of the blast shattered
the glasses of some windows and some other
delicate components of the storey building.
The impact of the blast also affected some
residential houses located within the vicinity
of the PDP secretariat.
Journalists who dashed to the secretariat to
establish the cause of the blast, were
prevented by the heavily armed policemen
and soldiers who had cordoned off the entire
roads leading to the secretariat.
Vehicular movements were also diverted from
the sections of the Murtala Muhammed
Highway close to the secretariat.
A resident who resides about 10 houses away
from the secretariat, but pleaded anonymity
said: “I heard a loud bang and everywhere
started shaking. I thought the house was
going to collapse.”
Chief Fire Officer of the Emergency Response
Centre, Ugbong Celestine, who arrived the
secretariat at about 11a.m. said he was
alerted that there was a blast and fire
outbreak that require rescue operation.
Men of the police bomb disposal squad were
also at the scene of the blast to conduct
their investigation and possiblly establish
facts about the blast.
Reacting to the incident, the state chairman
of the party, Ntufam John Okon, said: “I
understand they threw in a bomb or dynamite
or something. The police are there and the
anti-bomb squad are on the way. We would
not be able to use the secretariat for the
ward congresses. We would be using the
Presidential Lodge. All the electoral officers
are collecting their materials and going to
the field. The windows and other things
inside the office were destroyed.”
The state police command confirmed the
blast at the PDP secretariat, but said it was
a minor explosion.
A statement signed by the Police Public
Relations Officer, Hogan Bassey, entitled:
“Improvised Explosion Device (IED) at the
PDP secretariat, Calabar,” read: “The Cross
River State Police Command wishes to reflect
on the ongoing PDP ad hoc delegates
congress, holding in the state, in the light of
this, operatives were placed on surveillance,
intelligence gathering, monitoring, foot and
vehicular patrol. This measure has yielded
positive result.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja
has declined jurisdiction to entertain the suit
instituted against the PDP for allegedly
tampering with the results of the ward
congresses conducted in Cross River on
November 1.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola in his decision, held
that “the complaints bordered on pre-primary
matters which are covered under internal
party matters and as such the court lacks the
jurisdiction to entertain it presently.”
Reacting to the decision of the court the
plaintiff, Hon. Jones Tagban, said they have
accepted the judgment of the court.
Meanwhile, elders of the PDP in Cross River
State have kicked against the purported
cancellation of the ward congresses results.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Ojong
Bassey told journalists in Abuja that the
cancellation was “unacceptable to the people
as the elections were free and fair. There was
no form of violence whatsoever.
“We read the story in some newspapers just
like our people but we do not want to believe
that our party will take that decision, even
after it is clear that the matter is in court.”
However, the leadership crisis rocking the
Enugu State chapter of the PDP yesterday
assumed a new dimension as an Enugu High
Court Judge, Justice Raymond Ozoemena,
declined further hearing in a suit challenging
the claim by the Deputy Chairman, David
Ajah, that he ought to be the acting chairman
of the party in the state, citing threats to his
life from some undisclosed persons.
Justice Ozomena who was to rule on a
motion on notice in the matter, said he could
no longer go on with the case following
“persistent threats to my life” and ordered
that the matter be transferred back to the
court registry for reassignment.
The judge had earlier issued an order
restraining Ajah from parading himself as the
acting chairman of the state chapter of the
PDP following the resignation of the former
Chairman, Vita Abba, pending the
appointment of a new chairman from the
Enugu North senatorial zone where Abba
hails from.
Ajah was subsequently served with a notice
of consequences for disobedience to a court
order, also known as “form 48” following his
refusal to comply with the order.
Reacting to the development, counsel to the
state PDP, Vin Ene and Tochukwu Maduka,
described the development as unfortunate,
adding that it was “shocking and
unwholesome” that a judge discharging his
lawful duties could be subjected to such
threats to his life as to compel him to decline
further hearing in a suit before him.
No comments