AS COURT SACKS ALI MODU SHERIFF’S PDP CHAIR, POLICE SEAL OFF VENUE OF EDO FACTIONAL GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARY
An Abuja Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Valentine
Ashi has come to the rescue of Nigeria’s troubled former ruling party, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by sacking factional National Chairman, Ali
Modu Sheriff.
The court this afternoon nullified the 2014 PDP Constitution
Amendment upon which Sheriff was appointed PDP Interim Chairman.
The court described the amendment as illegal and a violation of
the Electoral Act and declared all actions carried out with it, including
anybody parading as an officer of PDP, to be illegal.
It was a double setback for Sheriff, as men of the Nigeria
Police Force had earlier in the day cordoned off the entrance to Stadium Road
by Akenzua Junction in Benin City with vehicles and ensured that the gates to
the stadium were locked.
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium had been the scheduled venue for the
planned Edo governorship primary of Modu Sheriff-led faction of PDP.
Mathew Iduoriyekemwen and Rep. Johnson Agbonayinma are the two
aspirants for the governorship ticket.
Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr Chris Eziken said, “I am
not INEC. It is too early to find out if the primary will hold or not. You can
call me back in the afternoon to find out.”
Asked if INEC would witness the exercise, the Resident Electoral
Commissioner in the state, Mr Sam Olumekun, said only the national headquarters
could comment on the matter.
A member of the Caretaker Committee, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said the primary would be held as scheduled but that they were
looking for another venue.
The Ahmed Markafi-led PDP faction held its primary on June 20 at
the same venue which produced Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its candidate.
Ize-Iyamu defeated Iduoriyekemwen and Chief Solomon Edebiri at
the primary, but Iduoriyekemwen later joined the Modu Sheriff faction after he
faulted the process of the primary. (NAN, News Express)
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