By News Desk
A Federal Superior Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has prohibited the Rivers State government from arresting, harassing, and intimidating members of the Democratic Party of the Peoples Presidential Campaign Council (PDP PCC) in the state.
The court issued the order on January 19 in a lawsuit brought by a former state senator, Lee Maeba, and 13 other members of the state’s PDP PCC against the Rivers state government and seven others.
Other PDP CCP members listed as petitioners in the lawsuit include the council’s state director, Abiye Sekibo, and his spokesman, Leloonu Nwibubasa.
The defendants in the lawsuit include the Rivers State Attorney General, the Inspector General of Police and the Director of the State Security Service in the state.
The injunction stated in parts: “An interim injunction restricting Defendants 1 through 8 from harassing, intimidating, arresting, and/or detaining applicants in connection with the unfounded, willfully orchestrated, and misleading falsehood of violating any law in the state Rivers Pending Hearing and Determination of Motion on Notice.”
State PDP CCP spokesman Mr Nwibubasa told Newsmen on Wednesday that Atiku Abubakar supporters are now protected by the court order after some of them were prosecuted before a lower court. on Tuesday.
More than 20 of the defendants were jailed, while the case was adjourned until March 22 for the hearing of their bail application.
Mr. Atiku, the former Vice President of Nigeria, is the PDP’s presidential candidate for the February 25 elections.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State reportedly ordered the arrest and arraignment of his supporters.
Recall that Governor Wike has been at loggerheads with the PDP’s national leadership after the party’s presidential primary last year, which it lost to Atiku.
The governor quarreled with Mr. Atiku over disown about an alleged promise to ensure the departure of the party’s National President, Iyorchia Ayu, so that a southerner can lead the party for the sake of “regional balance.”
Lords Atiku and Ayu are both northerners.Wike now leads the G5, a group of PDP governors who are upset with Atiku and the PDP leadership.
Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpaeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) are the other G5 members.
Members of the group who were appointed to Atiku’s presidential campaign council withdrew their membership and boycotted his inauguration.
Governor Wike last week canceled the approval he had previously given to the PDP Presidential Campaign Council to use Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium for the February 11 rally in the state.
