News

Court Restrains PDP From Dissolving Pro-Wike Excos In Rivers

Published

1 year ago

September 26, 2024

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, restrained the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, the party’s National Working Committee as well as the PDP Board of Trustees from tampering with or dissolving the Executive Committees of the party in Rivers State.

The court also stopped the defendants from constituting any interim committee to replace the officers of the party at the state, local governments and ward levels who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering a ruling on an ex parte application brought before the court by the PDP Rivers State Executive Committee, led by Aaron Chukwuemeka, and his counterparts at the local governments and ward levels.

The plaintiffs, in the ex parte application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1396/2024, are Chukwuemeka, Oye Igenewari and ThankGod Bekee, who sued on behalf of themselves and state, local governments and ward executive committees of the Rivers PDP.

Listed as defendants are the PDP, its acting Chairman, Umar Damagum, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, NWC, NEC, BoT, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Alhaji Bala Mohammed of the Governors’ Forum.

In the ex parte motion argued on their behalf by Dr Joshua Musa (SAN), the plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were making clandestine moves to dissolve the legally constituted state, local governments and wards executives committees of the Rivers State PDP.

They also alleged that the defendants and the PDP governors were attempting to put in place interim committees to replace them, to perform the duties and functions of the state, local governments and wards executives committees of the PDP in Rivers State.

The plaintiffs said unless the defendants were restrained from carrying out the unlawful act, they would be made to suffer injustice and losses.

In his ruling, after perusing the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs, Justice Lifu gave an order restraining INEC from accepting or recognising any other person or groups other than those elected at the state, local governments and wards elections of the PDP in Rivers State.

Justice Lifu also ordered the PDP national body and others not to tamper with or dissolve the local governments and ward leadership of the PDP in Rivers State, who were said to have been elected along with the State Executive Committee this year at various congresses of the party.

In an enrolled order, the court ordered that on no grounds shall the tenure of the Rivers PDP executive Committees at the state, local governments and the wards be truncated by the defendants.

Justice Lifu also ordered that the defendants must not in any way allow or permit any other group or persons to perform the duties and functions of the PDP State, local governments and ward officers elected between July 27 and August 31, 2024.

The judge also ordered the plaintiffs to file a fresh undertaking to indemnify all the defendants in case it is discovered that the restraining orders issued against the defendants ought not to have been granted.

Hearing in the motion on notice was subsequently fixed for October 4, 2024.

Wednesday’s order comes on the heels of the face-off between Wike and the PDP Governors’ Forum, chaired by the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on the leadership of the PDP in Rivers State.

The PDP governors had demanded the nullification of the ward, LGA and state congresses that handed the party’s control to Wike, rather than the incumbent Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The PDP governors have insisted that as the sitting governor, Fubara, rather than Wike, should be the leader of the PDP in Rivers State.

Seven of the 13 PDP governors are also pushing for the removal of the PDP acting National Chairman, Damagum, who is loyal to Wike.

News

Court Dismisses SPDC’s Objections To Compensation Over Hydrocarbon Pollution In A’Ibom

Published

20 minutes ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State has dismissed the preliminary objections by the Shell Petroleum Development company in suit filed by the A’Ibom Oil Producing Development Network (AKPICON), demanding payment of compensation and remediation of battered environment over decades of hydrocarbon pollution occasioned by oil and gas emissions from corked and uncorked oil and wells in various parts of the state.

AKIPCON serves as a mechanism for the realization of environmental justice and protection of human rights of the people over a period of time.

The organization had, through its lead counsel, Dr Dada Awosika, SAN, of Awosika partners in conjunction with Barr Ndifreke Akpan, written to the Managing Director of SPDC demanding payment of N140bn compensation to alleviate the sufferings of the impoverished farmers, fishermen and allied business owners

The letter reads in part, ”Your company owns corked and uncorked oil and gas wells which spread over Akwa Ibom State particularly in Mkpat-Enin, Ini, Ikot Abasi, Onna, Uruan, Esit-Eket, Iket, Uyo, Eastern Obolo, Nsit-Antai, Etinan, Mbo, Okobo, Essien Udim, Ikot-Ekpene Local Government Areas and others.

”Over the years there has been increased leakages and emissions of crude from your company’s corked and uncorked oil and gas wells and facilities which continually discharge toxic hydrocarbon into farm lands and water bodies in the environment where our clients operate.

”The said leakages/emissions arise from your company’s negligence in the maintenance of your corked and uncorked oil wells. Most often your expired, aged and rusted pipes installed in the early 1950s erupt, discharging crude oil which washes itself into water bodies and farmlands of our clients, resulting in colossal damage to their farmlands and water bodies.

”The activities of your company in this regard has brought untold hardship, economic losses, unemployment, redundancy, insecurity, frustration, abject poverty, phycological trauma and health hazards with attendant human rights consequences to our clients.

”Flowing from the foregoing, it’s our instruction to demand that your company pays N140bn, only to our clients being compensation for the age-long degradation of their environment and damage caused to their property and means of livelihood arising from your company’s activities. In addition, we demand that you take immediate steps to clean up and remediate our battered environment caused by your operation for decades to return the environment to its pristine state”

But the SPDC, in No: FHC. UY/CS/85/2024 argues that AKPICON does not have the legal rights to institute the case. It also contended that the case is status bar by Akwa Ibom limitation laws on oil spills as the said spills occured over 70 years ago.

However, ruling on the matter on Thursday, the presiding judge, Justice MA Onyetanu, dismissed the SPDC’s preliminary objections for lack of merit and adjourned the case to February 5th for commencement of trail.

News

Naira Records First Depreciation Against US Dollar Across Official, Black FX Markets

Published

45 minutes ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

The naira dropped for the first time on Thursday across official and parallel foreign exchange markets.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s data showed that the Naira depreciated slightly to N1,443.90 against the dollar on Thursday, down from N1,442.92.

This means that the Naira weakened marginally by N0.98 against the dollar on a day-to-day basis.

News

JUST IN: EFCC Summons Ex-AGF Malami For Questioning

Published

3 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has invited former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami for questioning.

Malami announced the development on his Facebook page on Friday, confirming that he had received a formal invitation from the anti-graft agency.

“I would like to inform my family and friends that I have been summoned by the EFCC to provide clarification on certain matters, and as a law-abiding and patriotic citizen, I am determined to honour this invitation without any hesitation,” he wrote.