Embattled factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his supporters have petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed and President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the conflicting judgments issued by courts over the PDP crisis.
On behalf of the Sheriif group, former National Secretary of the Party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja
He said it was worrisome that after parties have been served court processes and have joined issues, they rush to another court where they get pliable judges to grant them ex-parte orders and conflicting orders and judgments within days.
He said: “This ugly trend began with the Hon. Justice Mohammed Liman of the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court. He granted an exparte order in respect of the same issues and parties on the 23rd of May, 2016, twelve (12) days after the Federal High Court, Lagos, had become seized of the matter and made orders which forbid the PDP from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st (Sheriff), 2nd (Prof. Wale Oladipo) and 3rd plaintiffs (Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju) respectively pending the determination of the substantive suit.
“The same court granted an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring and/or recognizing the conduct of any election by the 2nd Defendant/Respondent (PDP) into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st (Sheriff), 2nd (Prof. Wale Oladipo) and 3rd Plaintiffs (Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju) respectively pending the determination of the substantive suit.”
He urged the President and the CJN to prevail on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to wade into the situation as the Head of the court and save the judiciary and democracy from an “avoidable crisis and embarrassment”