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PDP crisis takes another turn as group heads to court

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The PDP Must Reform To Provide A Viable Opposition And Democratic Alternative

The leadership crisis plaguing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken another dimension, as a group in the party has headed to court.

Two members of the party under the aegis of Restart PDP Group in a suit has asked an Abuja High Court to compel the national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff to vacate office by the end of March.

They also want the court to bar the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) from holding its national convention until the membership register of the party is computerised as stipulated in the party’s constitution.

The party’s national convention had been fixed for May 21, 2016 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The suit dated March 8, was filed by Mr. Nwosu Emmanuel and Mr. Eze Silas on behalf of the group.

According to a copy of the originating summons, with suit number CV/1174/16, filed at a Federal High Court in Abuja, Emmanuel and Silas are the plaintiffs while the PDP, Sheriff and the NWC are the first, second and third defendants respectively.

Read also: PDP picks Port Harcourt for long awaited nat’l convention

Among their prayers, they want the court to issue an order “restraining the 1st defendant, 3rd defendant and the current national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (Senator Ali Modu Sheriff) and all other national officers of the Peoples Democratic Party, whose tenure of office shall expire in March 2016 in line with the party’s constitution, from unlawfully extending their tenure of office beyond the mandatory four years term expressly stipulated in Section 47(1) of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party.”

They also seek an order “restraining the defendants, all officers and organs of the 1st defendant from parading or further parading the tenure of office of the 2nd defendant or any officers or organs of the 1st defendant, whose tenure of office shall expire in March 2016 in line with the party’s constitution, as having been expired beyond March 2016.”

While asking the court for a declaration on the tenure of Sheriff, they noted that Sheriff “having emerged to complete the unexpired constitutionally-stipulated four years terms of the last former national chairman of the party and his immediate predecessor respectively (Alh. Adamu Mu’azu and Alh. Bamanga Tukur), whose tenure jointly ought to expire in March 2016, should vacate office in March, 2016 as any extension of his tenure shall contravene the provisions of sections 2 and 47(1) and (6) of the constitution of the party”.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

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