Rotimi Amaechi
A Rivers High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party from taking any further action against the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, pending the hearing of a substantive suit challenging his suspension from the party.
The National Working Committee of the PDP suspended Amaechi on Monday over the removal of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Chairman, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, and 17 councillors.
The governor, who was apparently not satisfied with the development, had since approached the court, challenging his suspension from the party.
But Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji on Friday issued a directive stopping the ruling party from going beyond the Amaechi’s suspension until the matter was heard.
Ogbuji’s order came following a preliminary application brought before the court by the governor’s lawyers led by Mr. Akin Olubunmi (SAN).
Also summoning the PDP to appear before it on June 6, 2013, the court instructed the party to maintain the status quo in the matter pending the hearing of the substantive suit brought by the governor.
Ogbuji, however, directed Amaechi to serve the PDP the necessary court processes by pasting them on the walls of the party in Abuja and publishing them in national newspapers.
Rivers State has been going through political crisis that has divided the house of assembly and the state PDP.
The crisis, which began after an Abuja High Court sacked Chief G.U. Ake as the state PDP chairman, has also led to the suspension of 27 out of the 32 members of the assembly.
