A
abujagirl
Guest
The Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, New PDP on Monday lost its bid to obtain an order of court to re-open its secretariat in Abuja which was sealed off by the police on September 7.
According to PUNCH, The Lagos High Court in Ikeja presided over by Justice Ganiyu Safari refused to grant the order, saying the faction failed to back its allegation with sufficient evidence to show that it was the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led PDP that used the police to seal off the secretariat.
Justice Safari said he could not give an order for the re-opening of the secretariat when none of the respondents, including Tukur, had any “direct control” on the police.
While re-affirming its September 2 ruling in which he ordered parties to maintain the status quo, he urged the Baraje faction to file any evidence in its possession linking the respondents to the sealing of the secretariat.
The judge also said the claimants were at liberty to file a separate application against the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, if they had evidence to show that the police had sealed off the secretariat on their own volition.
Counsel for the Baraje faction, Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, had alleged that it was the Tukur-led executive that used the police to seal off his clients’ secretariat.
Emukpoeruo alleged that the action was in breach of the order of the September 2 ruling which asked parties to maintain the status quo.
He said, “After they filed papers they deployed and stationed Armoured Personnel Carrier in the secretariat.
“We are praying your Lordship to order them to move their APC from the secretariat whether injunction has been granted or not; or whether injunction is being sought or not.”
In his response, counsel for Tukur and others, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, argued that it was the Baraje faction who had flouted the September 2 order by going ahead to set up a secretariat after the court ordered the parties to maintain the status quo.
Both parties also disagreed on what was truly the status quo referred to in the September 2 ruling.
Oluyede said the “status quo ante” referred to the “legal National Executive Committee” that was in existence before “some rebels” went to announce another faction of the party.
Meanwhile Emukpoeruo said the status quo was referring to the state of the affairs before the police was deployed in his client’s secretariat.