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Dayo Johnson Akure

A Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has restrained the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from the dissolution of the chapter of the party in the Ondo East council area of the State.

The Court’s decision has deepened the crisis rocking the party in the state over the outcome of the 2020 governorship election.

Recall, that the state chapter of the party had dissolved the Ondo East chapter of the party over allegations of anti-party activities by some of the party chieftains during the governorship election that produced Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

However, dissatisfied with the decision of the State Executive Committee SEC of the party, the aggrieved members of the party led by Ifedayo Fredrick Olaniyan dragged the leadership of the party to the Federal High Court to challenge the legality of the action of the state chapter of the party.

In the suit filed by Olaniyan and 17 other plaintiffs through their lawyer, Mathew Burkaa SAN, they asked the court to restrain the leadership of the party both at the state and national levels from tampering with the local executive chapter of the party.

The court had earlier granted an interim order barring the dissolution of the local chapter of the party.

The suit has as defendants, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National leadership of the party, Abuja and the Fatai Adams led state executive committee of the party.

At the resumed hearing of the suit, the plaintiffs were represented by Burkaa SAN, while the PDP was represented by its governorship candidate of the party in the 2020 election, Mr Eyitayo Jegede SAN.

The party asked the court to vacate the order and dismiss the suit in its entirety.

But the court presided by Justice D.U. Okorowo after hearing Jegede and Burkaa ordered that the application of the defendants to vacate the earlier orders made on April 13 to strike out the entire suite is hereby refused.

Justice Okorowo ordered that the earlier orders made on April 13 which stated that parties are ordered to maintain status-quo antebellum still stand.

He fixed the judgment on the substantive suit to June 6.

Vanguard News Nigeria