The Federal High Court sitting Abuja, has barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from taking any step relating to the removal of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Justice Inyang Ekwo made the order on Monday, when the PDP and Udeh-Okoye Enemchukwu who the party had since endorsed as its national scribe, applied to be joined as interested and necessary parties to the suit Senator Anyawu brought before the court to restrain INEC from giving effect to his removal as PDP’s National Secretary.
In the motion ex-parte Anyawu specifically prayed the court to bar the electoral body or its agents from receiving or acting upon any correspondent or submission from the PDP, unless such documents were signed by him.
He further applied for an order of injunction to restrain the National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagun, from forwarding any correspondence, document or written submissions to INEC, without his own signature.
However the court, in a ruling it delivered last Wednesday, directed the Applicant to put INEC and Damagun, who were originally listed as defendants in the matter, on notice.
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When proceedings resumed on Monday, INEC, told the court that it filed a counter- affidavit to challenge the competence of the suit.
INEC’s counsel Ahmed Mohammed, confirmed that he was duly served with all the processes in the matter, he, however, admitted that INEC did not file any process to show cause as it was directed to do by the court, a submission the trial Judge wasn’t pleased with.
On their part, Udeh-Okoye’s counsel, Paul Erokoro and that of the PDP, Paul-Harris Ogbole, told the court that they have served Senator Anyanwu’s lawyer with separate applications they filed to be joined as parties in the matter, while soughting an amendment of the substantive suit to reflect their names as defendants.
While confirming that he was served with the joinder applications,Anyanwu’s counsel said the time for him to respond to them had not elapsed.
The trial Judge, while adjourning till February 28 to hear all the pending applications, warned INEC not to take any action that would adversely affect the suit pending before the court.
