PDP Crisis: Makarfi committee insists on holding convention

Sen. Ahmed Makarfi

TheNational Caretaker Committee of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday said reports that an Abuja High Court nullified it’s existence was untrue.

The committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeyeye, told newsmen in Abuja that several reports he read about the court ruling were inaccurate.

It will be recalled that a High Court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang on Thursday nullified the ruling of Port Harcourt High Court recognising the caretaker committee.

According to Adeyeye,‎ the motion seeking to restrain the PDP from conducting the proposed Aug. 17 national convention has not been heard by the court.

”And no date has been fixed for the hearing of the same.

”What was before the court yesterday was the issue of who is the authentic legal counsel for the PDP as between Ferdinand Orbih and O. O. Fakunle.

”The court in determining the question of legal representation held that the appointment of O. O. Fakunle by Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff was acceptable to the court.

”It must be emphasised that at no stage ‎did the judge set aside the judgment of justice A. M. Liman of the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court which could have led to the dissolution of the committee.

”An order validating She‎riff as national chairman could not have arisen from the issue of proper legal representation.”

Adeyeye sad the portion of the ruling relating to the matter read: ”though I have powers to nullify the decision of the Port Harcourt Division that recognised Makarfi leadership, I will not do so.

”This is because there is no application to that effect before me. I will however allow the court of appeal to do justice to that.”

He said for Nigerians to keep faith in court processes, proceedings of courts of law should not be subject of subjective manipulation.

Adeyeye said it was impossible in law that a judge of a court of record will acknowledge the existence of a valid judgment and proceed to make the ‎kind of orders purportedly attributed to him.

He said: ”let it be known that the convention of the PDP will hold.

”The caretaker committee will not relent in its efforts to ensure a hitch free, free and fair convention where we will hand over on Aug. 17 to credible people.”

Comments

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...

Global Naija Info

Search This Blog