A High Court in Port Harcourt has declared that the suspension of the embattled National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, still subsists while also granting a perpetual injunction restraining Secondus from parading himself as the national chairman of the opposition PDP.
Justice O. Gbasam who presided over the matter upheld Secondus’ suspension Friday, in Suit No: PHC/2183/CS/2021 between Ibeawuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis Nna Amadi, Emmanuel Stephen Umezirike Onucha (as claimants) and Prince Uche Secondus and People’s Democratic Party (defendants).
Earlier, counsel for the first defendant (Secondus), Godfrey Uwalaka, had attempted to stop the court’s judgement slated for Friday, by making an oral application that an appeal had been entered into by the defendant.
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Counsel for the claimants, Nwosuegbe Eze, urged the court to discountenance the purported appeal, noting that there was no motion before the court for a stay of execution and no motion to arrest the ruling of the court.
The trial judge, Justice Gbasam, dismissed the first defendant’s counsel’s oral application for lack of merit, saying that it was not enough reason to stop the earlier slated ruling and judgement.
On the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter, he held that since the issue in contention (Secondus’ suspension) bordered on internal affairs of the party, the trial judge declared that applications challenging the court’s right to hear the matter, lacked merit.
Similarly, on the issue of fair hearing raised by counsel for PDP (second defendant), Eugene Odey, the judge said the counsel had ample time to represent the client and the issue of fair hearing has no basis.
Justice Gbasam said it has been noticed that parties (counsels), who have bad cases and could not prove their cases have always used the issue of fair hearing to bamboozle the court.
The court stated that Secondus was suspended by his ward in Ikuru Town, in Andoni Local Government Area, for anti-party activities.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
