By Austin Ogwuda

Enugu—THE chairmanship tussle in Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State has assumed another dimension as Mr. Raymond Nnaji, who claims to be the factional chairman in the state, has filed a motion in court seeking to stop the party from presenting governorship candidate, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and other candidates, who emerged from the primaries, from contesting in the forthcoming elections.

The Motion on Notice brought pursuant to Order 26 56 (1) of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009, is expected to be moved tomorrow before the presiding judge, Justice D. V. Agishi.

Nnaji, who was also a former national auditor of the party, is asking the court to suspend the judgment, which it had reserved in a similar civil suit in connection with the authenticity of who was the actual chairman of PDP in Enugu State on that date, to hear the present application.

The defendants are the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Enugu State and the National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Nnaji had in an earlier suit claimed that that “in 2008 I was elected as the chairman of PDP Enugu State and other members of the executive committee of the party at the designated venue, Macdanos Hotel, Enugu.

“That unfortunately, when the then national chairman of the PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, took over leadership of the party from Col. Alhmadu Ali(redt)as the chairman, he decided not to respect the decision of the party before his assumption of office, hence suit FHC/EN/CS/83/2008 against him and others.

“Surprisingly, one Engr. Vita Abba, who equally claimed elected as chairman of the party in Enugu State at a venue designated him, himself and his collaborators was joined as the 3rd defendant in that suit had to file a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court.”