Court orders PDP to recognise Gana Lawan’s faction from Yobe

Ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Lawan and 26 other members of the party against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP and seven others, Justice Binta Murtala Nyako granted the seven prayers sought by the plaintiffs and restrained INEC, PDP, Chairman of PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, from “recognising any other person or group of persons as the authentic leadership or executive committee of the PDP in Yobe State except the party leadership structure duly elected and headed by the plaintiffs as the authentic officers of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.” The court also restrained Alhaji Sani Inuwa Nguru from continuing to parade himself as the Chairman of the Yobe State Executive Committee (SEC) of the PDP pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. Justice Nyako also restrained the PDP and its national caretaker committee from taking any step to dissolve or otherwise replace the Gana Lawan faction as the authentic officers of the Yobe State Executive Committee of the PDP except by election due to be conducted in May, 2020, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. The judge also directed that the PDP was restrained from conducting any primary election in Yobe State except through the instrumentality of the plaintiffs in the organisation and conduct of the electoral college for the election of party candidates for general and other elections to public offices pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. The plaintiffs were also granted leave to serve the originating summons, as well as all other accompanying processes in the suit on Nguru and INEC; and outside the jurisdiction of the court and that they had the leave of the court to dispense with personal service and employ substituted means. Justice Nyako, however, adjourned the case to December 15.]]>