UMUAHIA: The Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, has been informed by the Bende Judicial Division of the Abia State High Court that its previous ruling prohibiting the party from having state, local government, and ward congresses in Abia State has not been overturned.

The October 25 court judgement came in response to the lawsuit brought by Francis Etuzu, Chidindu Kalu Kalu, and Enyinnaya Ogbu under the suit number HB/3/2024.

This occurs only hours before the party’s State Congress, which has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 26.

The PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; the chairman of the Abia PDP Caretaker Committee, Alwell Asiforo Okere; and the secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Kenneth Madubuike, were also ordered to face contempt proceedings by the court, which was presided over by Justice C. U. Okoroafor.

The PDP (apart from the claimants), the National Chairman of the PDP, the PDP National Financial Secretary, the PDP National Organising Secretary, and the PDP National Legal Adviser are among the defendants in the lawsuit.

“That leave be and is hereby granted to the Claimants/Applicants to serve Forms 48, 49, and all other processes in respect of contempt proceedings in this suit on the Defendants i.e. Senator Samuel Anyanwu (National Secretary P.D.P.), Alwell Asiforo Okere (PhD) (Chairman Caretaker Committee Abia State P.D.P.), and Kenneth Madubulke (Secretary, Caretaker Committee, Abia P.D.P.) read the partial order.

alternative methods, such as delivering it to any adult prisoner at the PDP Abia Secretariat located at Onyerobi Close, off House of Assembly Road, Umuahia, Abla State, or transmitting it electronically through each party’s personal Whatsapp phone number.

Once more, the parties are reminded that the order issued by this court on July 23, 2024, remains in effect until the substantive case is decided.

Remember how the Claimants had on July 23 gotten a court injunction prohibiting the PDP from conducting its ward congress on July 27?

Additionally, the court prevented the PDP from prolonging the term of the party’s State Working Committee, or SWC, which is chaired by Okere.

The party congresses could not be held or rescheduled until the move on notice was heard and decided, according to the July 23rd court order.

“Taking any decision or giving any directive to further extend the already expired tenure of the last state, local government area, and ward executive officers of the party in the state pending the determination of the motion on notice” was another restriction the court placed on the PDP.

The judgement stated: “The claimants/applicants are hereby granted permission to serve the defendants in Abuja, outside of Abia State, with the originating summons and other processes in this suit.”

The originating summons, orders, and all other processes in this suit may be served by substitute means by the claimants/applicants, who may deliver them to any adult prisoner or post them at the PDP headquarters in Wadata Plaza, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The defendants, whether acting alone, through their representatives, servants, agents, assigns, or in any other capacity, are prohibited from holding the PDP party congress in Abia State on July 27, 2024, or from moving it to a different date or location until the motion on notice has been heard and decided.

“That pending the hearing and resolution of the motion on notice already filed, the defendants, on their own, through their representatives, servants, agents, assigns, or however otherwise called, are hereby restrained from making any decisions or issuing directives to further extend the tenure of the last state, local government, and ward executive officers of the PDP in Abia State.”