The embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, has headed for the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, which on Friday gave a nod for the party’s National Convention to hold in Abuja on Saturday (today).
He said impunity, which he alleged had driven the party to the precipice and threatened its internal democracy and unity, must be resisted at all costs.
JomogNews Nigeria reports that Uche Secondus says he will appeal the judgement rejecting his request to stop the party’s national convention.
This online newspaper recalls that Uche Secondus had approached an appeal court in Rivers seeking an order of injunction to restrain the opposition party from holding its national convention scheduled for October 30th and 31st.
This was after multiple court orders were issued against Secondus resulting in his removal from office, and Yemi Akinwonmi, deputy national chairman (south), was appointed in his stead.
Delivering judgement on the matter on Friday, a three-member panel unanimously dismissed the application for lacking in merit.
But reacting to the ruling in a statement issued by Ike Abonyi, his spokesman, Secondus said he will appeal the judgement “immediately” to avoid abuse of the party’s constitution.
“I have just been briefed of the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt dismissing my motion to halt the National Convention of the party. I respect the position of the court even though I disagree totally with it,” the statement reads.
“Even as the substantive case is still pending at the Court of Appeal, I have instructed my lawyers to study the ruling with a view to appealing it immediately as no abuse of the constitution of our dear party should be allowed to stand.
“The issue is not about Prince Uche Secondus but the sanctity of our party constitution and core democratic principles of justice and rule of law, not only in PDP but in our democracy. No impunity must be condoned.
“I will therefore wish to emphasise the fact that I did not take the party to court and would not have done that. As a foundation member of this party who has served at various levels, State Chairman, Chairman of state Chairmen, National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Chairman, Acting National Chairman and now National Chairman, I am very much abreast with the workings of the party.
I have been a witness to how much harm litigations have done to our party in the past and as a result I have been a strong advocate against settling issues in courts.
