PDP crisis: Court fines Makarfi-led faction.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party to pay a fine of N50,000 to the Ali Modu-Sheriff group – Justice Okon Abang said that the counsel to the Makarfi group Ferdinand Obi wasted five hours of judicial time and must bear the consequence.

The chairman of the caretaker committee for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ahmed Makarfi has been directed by the court to pay the party’s national chairman Ali Modu-Sheriff N50,000. At the ruling on an application filed by Sheriff, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court said another application filed by Makarfi’s counsel for a stay on proceeding was a delay of court time. Ferdinand Obi had in an application asked the court to stay proceeding a motion on notice filed by Sheriff to prevent the Makarfi-led faction from convening a national convention scheduled for August 17. But in his ruling, Abang said Obi was wrong to approach a higher court seeking for nullification of its decision without waiting for the judgment from the lower court. The judge said Obi’s action is a labour in vain. He said the appellant wasted the court’s five hours in hearing his application.

Obi had in appeal asked the Court of Appeal to determine whether the Makarfi-led faction should be legally represented in the matter or not. At the last hearing, there had been arguments on who would legally represent the PDP in the matter before the Federal High Court. Two counsels from both faction had argued who had the right to represent the party. But Abang held that the rightful legal representation of the Sheriff-led PDP is Olagoke Fakunle. He ordered Obi to pay a fine of N50, 000 to Sheriff’s faction for delaying the proceedings for five hours. Also, an application by the Makarfi led faction and six others to be joined as parties in the matter was granted by the court.



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