Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has reaffirmed that his order on maintaining status quo in respect of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention remains in force and must not be flouted by any of the parties involved in a suit on the convention. The judge on Thursday specifically insisted that no party must take any step that may jeopardize or render the decision of his court nugatory and warned that he would be forced to make consequential order against any party that resort to self-help.
The remarks of the judge followed the complaint by one of the lawyers to the PDP, Chris Uche SAN, that his client is being held back by the status quo maintenance order and applied for speedy hearing of the suit. At the proceedings on Thursday, the judge said that his court would do everything possible to deliver judgment in the suit between now and end of October for the respective parties to know their fate.
He warned that no party would be allowed to use any ploy to delay speedy hearing of the suit challenging the legality or otherwise of the planned national convention of the party scheduled for November 15th and 16th in Ibadan, Oyo state. Meanwhile, the judge has fixed Monday, October 20th for definite hearing of the originating summons in respect of the suit instituted against Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and eight others by three aggrieved members of the party.
Justice Omotosho fixed the date following confirmation that virtually all processes for and against the suit have been filed. The judge ordered that the filed processes must be exchanged by all parties latest October 17th so as to pave way for definite hearing of the suit.
