The Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, will be heaving a sigh of relief after a State High Court sitting in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, restrained his party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party from taking any further action against the embattled governor until the hearing of a substantive suit challenging his suspension from the party.
Amaechi had been suspended by the National Working Committee of the PDP on Monday over the removal of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Chairman, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, and 17 councillors.
The governor immediately sued the party, challenging the legality of his suspension, which was heard by Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji who, on Friday issued a directive stopping the ruling party from going beyond the Amaechi’s suspension until the matter was heard.
Ogbuji’s order came following a preliminary application brought before the court by the governor’s lawyers led by Mr. Akin Olubunmi (SAN).
The court has also summoned the PDP to appear before it on the 6th of June, 2013 while also instructing them to maintain the status quo in the matter pending the hearing of the substantive suit brought by the governor.
Ogbuji, however, directed Amaechi to serve the PDP the necessary court processes by pasting them on the walls of the party in Abuja and publishing them in national newspapers.
Rivers State has been going through political crisis that has divided the house of assembly and the state PDP.
The crisis, which began after an Abuja High Court sacked Chief G.U. Ake as the state PDP chairman, has also led to the suspension of 27 out of the 32 members of the assembly.
It has also been linked to the national political ambitions of Amaechi, who is being tipped as being on a potential joint ticket for the Presidency with Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, and heavily backed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.