By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the proposed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward congress election scheduled to hold on Saturday 25th September, 2021 across the 27 Local Government Areas of Borno State.
This followed a suit filed by the Chairman of the party in the state, Hon Usman Mahdi Baderi and three other Plaintiffs.
In the suit, the defendants include the PDP, its National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman (North), National Vice Chairman (North East as well as the National Organizing Secretary).
This followed alleged hijacking of the ward congress party election nomination forms by some string party members who were also claimed by the party to have been suspended for alleged anti party activities and sabotage leading to a faction denying others from participating in the said election that will produce the party wards executives and three other delegates each that will form the state congress electorates in the next state congress election.
It will be recalled that last Wednesday 22nd September, 2021, the State Chairman of the party, Alhaji Usman Mahdi Baderi, represented by State Party Secretary, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Dikko at a press conference with Journalists held at the PDP state secretariat Maiduguri, announced the suspension of two of its string party members, Hon Mohammed Alkali Imam and the former State Chairman, Hon Zannah Mustapha Gaddama for alleged anti party and hijacking of the ward congress forms having gone to the PDP headquarters Wadata House Abuja to buy all the party wards congress nomination forms worth N55 million and failed to present them to the party’s secretariat neither do they sale the forms to party members generally but distributed some to only their supporters in the party to fill and contest the said election.
Also, in a swift reaction at another press conference, some PDP members of Shehuri North ward who also claimed to be executive members of the ward including the chairman and Secretary, Tahiru Abatcha Mohammed Nur, said the suspension of Hon Mohammed Alkali Imam and Zanna Mustapha Gaddama by the state party executive members as claimed and announced by the state party secretary , Yusuf Mohammed Dikko, was baseless, false and unfounded as well as null and void
Investigation revealed that both two factions were in High and Supreme Courts in the past three and half years which judgement was later delivered on 12th March, 2021 by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, affirming Hon. Usman Mahdi Baderi as the authentic PDP State Party Chairman if Borno State.
This informed the court order stopping the conduct of the scheduled ward congress election as aggrieved members of the party led by Hon Usman Baderi decided to file a suit against the election seeking the stoppage of the conduct of the ward congress election in Borno state.
The court order halting the conduct of the ward congress election was contained in a suit No: FHC/ABJ/1095/2021 jointly signed by Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo and the Registrar, Blessing Chubuzo -Ogwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Court order read in part: “Upon this Motion Exparte dated on the 20th day of September, 2021 and filed on 21st day of September, 2021 praying for the following reliefs: That this matter which deserves to be heard expeditiously is hereby adjourned to the 11th day of October, 2021 for hearing, issued under the Seal of the Court and the hand of the presiding Judge this 24th September, 2021.
“AN INTERIM ORDER of the Honourable Court restraining the Defendants and or their Agents and privies from taking any other steps with regards to or in pursuance of the Conduct of Ward, Local Government Area, and State Congresses in Borno state for the purpose of electing new Ward, LGA and State Executive Committee members pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice in this Suit.”
