The Sheriff’s camp is set to initiate contempt proceedings against the Makarfi-led caretaker at the Federal High Court in Lagos, it was learnt yesterday.
The party’s National Secretary Prof Wale Oladipo and Deputy National Legal Adviser Bashir Maidugu said the caretaker committee remains illegal and lack powers to run PDP’s affairs.
Sheriff, Oladipo and National Auditor Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju had obtained an order of interlocutory injunction restraining PDP from conducting any election into the offices of the national chairman, national secretary and national auditor which they occupy, pending the hearing and determination of their substantive suit pending before Justice Ibrahim Buba.
But, while the order was subsisting and the suit pending, the caretaker committee was appointed.
Oladipo, in a statement yesterday, described the caretaker committee as a group of lawbreakers.
According to him, it was “very wrong” for the committee to take over PDP’s headquarters (also known as Wadata House).
He said: “Sherrif is out of the country and will be back tomorrow (today). The law breakers are in Wadata deceiving themselves. The law will take its course in the next one week.”
Maidugu said the caretaker committee was acting in defiance of subsisting court orders.
“It should be noted that the orders granted by the Federal High Court in Lagos has not been vacated and no appeal has been determined on same. There is an enforcement order granted by the FCT High Court in pursuance of her judgment of the 18th of May 2016
“The Makarfi committee is simply illegal. It was constituted in violation of the two high court rulings,” he said.
Sheriff and Oladipo, through their lawyer Ajibola Oluyede, yesterday sought to move their motion to set aside the order made by Justice M. Liman of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on May 23, which recognised the caretaker committee.
They are also praying the court to strike out PDP as plaintiff because the caretaker committee lacks the powers to invoke the party’s corporate personality. The defendants are also challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
According to Oluyede, the proceedings were stalled because the plaintiff was not ready with a response to the three applications, which he said were served on them five days ago.
The motion to discharge the order was filed on May 26 and will lapse tomorrow (June 9).
Oluyede said the “invasion” of the PDP national headquarters yesterday by “the illegitimate caretaker committee is an illegality” and will be brought to Justice Buba’s attention when the case comes up tomorrow.
The case before Justice Liman was adjourned till June 16 for hearing of all applications and the originating summons.