Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has declined Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s request to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission from acting on his removal as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Instead, the judge instructed Anyanwu to notify INEC and other defendants in his lawsuit, allowing them to present their perspectives.
On Wednesday, Anyanwu filed an ex-parte application seeking to restrain INEC or its agents from acknowledging or acting upon any correspondence from the PDP not signed by him. Represented by his counsel, K.C.O. Njemanze (SAN), Anyanwu also sought to prevent Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagun from submitting any documents to INEC without his signature.
After reviewing the application, Justice Ekwo acknowledged the urgency of the matter but opted not to grant the ex-parte request without hearing from the defendants. He ordered Anyanwu to serve court documents to INEC and Damagun, scheduling a hearing for February 24 to consider all parties’ arguments.
