Rivers PDP court challenge as party chieftains sue the chairman and RSIEC over disputed local government candidate nominations

Three chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday filed a suit at the Rivers State High Court challenging the nomination of candidates for the last local government election in the state.

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The plaintiffs, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, dragged the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Aaron Chukwuemeka, and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission before the court.

The suit followed the local government election in which the Peoples Democratic Party won Ogba Egbema Ndoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio Akpor local government areas.

In an originating summons, the plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether Aaron Chukwuemeka had the legal authority to submit the list of candidates to RSIEC.

They argued that the congress which produced Aaron Chukwuemeka had earlier been nullified by a competent court.

The plaintiffs contended that a party chairman whose emergence had been set aside could not lawfully conduct primaries or forward candidates’ names to the electoral commission.

They urged the court to nullify the candidatures of the council chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors produced through the disputed process.

The suit also asked the court to determine whether the PDP could be said to have presented a valid list of candidates to RSIEC for the August 30, 2025 local government election.

In addition, the plaintiffs sought a declaration that the PDP ward, local government and state congresses held on July 27, 2024 and August 10, 2024 were invalid.

They maintained that the Rivers State High Court had already set aside those congresses, rendering all actions arising from them void.

The Rivers PDP court challenge further included a request for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from interfering in the internal affairs of the party.

When the matter came up for hearing, counsel to the plaintiffs, Glory Chizim Chinda, applied for substituted service on the second and third defendants.

The presiding judge, Justice Stephen Jumbo, granted the application.

Justice Jumbo ordered that the court processes be served at the PDP state secretariat on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

The judge also directed that the processes be served on the affected council chairmen, their deputies and councillors in Port Harcourt City, Obio Akpor and Ogba Egbema Ndoni local government areas.