Court Upholds Order Restricting Secondus, Opara, Omehia from PDP Meetings

A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to grant requests by the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, and two others, to lift an order preventing them from participating in the party’s leadership meetings.

The court’s decision also affects Celestine Omehia, the ousted governor of Rivers State, and former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Adiele Opara.

On April 5, the court issued restraining orders, preventing the three PDP leaders from attending any National Executive Committee meetings or engaging in discussions until the resolution of ongoing lawsuits.

The lawsuits were brought against Secondus, Omehia, and Opara by members of the PDP in Rivers State.

Secondus faced charges in a suit filed by Titus Jones, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/440/2024, while Omehia was targeted in a suit by Precious Wobisike, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/436/2024. Opara’s case, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/438/2024, was filed by Chisa Amadi.

In response to the court orders, Secondus, Opara, and Omehia sought to halt their enforcement pending the outcome of their appeals. However, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed their applications, ruling them as improperly filed and therefore, invalid.

Justice Ekwo clarified that according to Order 26(9)(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules (FHCCPR) 2019, individuals affected by ex-parte orders should seek to modify or lift the orders within seven days of being served, rather than requesting a stay of execution.

He emphasized that there is no provision for appealing ex-parte orders of the Federal High Court, labeling such attempts as abuses of the court’s process.

Consequently, the judge dismissed the applications by Secondus, Opara, and Omehia, deeming them as abuse of court processes.

The court has adjourned until April 25 to hear pending motions for interim injunctions filed by the plaintiffs in the three cases, further prolonging the legal battle within the PDP leadership.