Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have barricaded the entrance to secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers state.

 

Armed officers positioned a patrol van at the entrance on Thursday, restricting access and movement around the complex.

 

The PDP in the south-south state is enmeshed in a leadership crisis with two camps claiming to be the authentic state executive committee of the party.

 

On Monday, the Rivers state high court nullified the congresses conducted by the PDP in the state in 2024.

The court also restrained the state executive committee (SEC) of the PDP from overseeing the affairs of the party and barred Aaron Chukwuemeka from parading himself as the chairman.

 

Stephen Jumbo, the presiding judge, gave the order while ruling on an interlocutory injunction filed by Edwin Woko and Love Otuonye (both lawyers) and two other PDP members.

 

The suit was instituted against Chukwuemeka and nine others.

The petitioners asked the court to declare the local government and ward congresses of 2024 as null and void.

 

The congresses, conducted in the 319 wards and 23 LGAs in August 2024, were backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

 

The applicants said the congresses were conducted in disregard of an order of the court issued in July 2024, which restrained the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from holding the congresses.

 

The claimants urged the court to set aside the congresses and restrain Chukwuemeka and members of the state executive committee from acting, representing, or parading themselves as officials of the party in the state.

 

They also asked the court to declare themselves (the petitioners) as the authentic and subsisting members of the PDP state executive committee and direct the party’s national leadership to recognise and deal with them accordingly.

 

The judge upheld the applicants’ prayers, nullifying the congresses and restraining Chukwuemeka and other respondents from acting as executives of the party in the state.

 

The court also recognised the applicants as the authentic and subsisting members of the Rivers state executive committee of the PDP.

 

On Thursday, both camps addressed a press conference, professing to be the bonafide leadership of the party in the state.