The NWC at the Port Harcourt Division of Court of Appeal on Monday applied to take over the cases filed against opposition parties by the Rivers chapter of the party.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), lawyer of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to stay off from the appeal case the party has against the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly Candidates.
The NWC at the Port Harcourt Division of Court of Appeal on Monday applied to take over the cases filed against opposition parties by the Rivers chapter of the party.
The PDP NWC in a letter read out in court also asked Ukala to allow another lawyer, Johnson Usman, whom the NWC hired to take over the appeal filed against verdicts of the lower court in its suits against the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It was reported that none of the counsels in court opposed the decision of PDP NWC, hence, the three-man appeal panel led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh, granted the request and adjourned the matter till February 3, 2023 following a request by the new PDP counsel.
As the new counsel to the PDP, Usman confirmed that he had been instructed by the national legal Adviser of the party to take over the appeals, which was the reason for applying for a short adjourned date, the counsel to the Accord Party, Muhammad Abdullahi, expressed the readiness of the party to meet the PDP in Court.
The PDP NWC’s decision to remove Ukala from handling the case was seen to be another fallout of the internal crisis between Governor Wike and the national leadership of PDP which started after the party’s primary election in 2022.
Recall that Governor Wike has refused to support the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorcha Ayu’s refusal to step down and hand over to a Southern member of the party.
Governor Wike and other five governors of PDP have formed what they call G5 governors including Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.