Court orders status quo on Akwa Ibom ad hoc delegate list generated from April 30 PDP ward congresses
The Federal High Court sitting in Abua on Wednesday has put on hold the plan of using the ad hoc delegates list in the upcoming PDP primaries in the Akwa Ibom State.
The case before the court between Friday Iwok and 30 others Vs PDP and INEC was decided today (May 18, 2022) that the status quo should remain, pending the determination of the main suit.
When the case, Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/606/2022- RT. HON. FRIDAY IWOK &ORS V. INEC & Anor came up, the court granted the injunction against the usage of April 30, 2022, Adhoc delegates list for the PDP Congresses in Akwa Ibom State.
While adjourning the case to Wednesday, May 25, 2022, for hearing, the Court gave an order that parties should maintain status quo antebellum. This means that the state of affairs before the holding of the Ward Ad-hoc Congress of 30th April 2022 has been restored.
In order words, in the meantime and pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, the Ward Ad-Hoc Delegates Congress of 30/04/2022 never took place.
According to a legal luminary, Barrister Jerry Akpan, the implication of the court decision is that “ad hoc delegates issue in the upcoming PDP primaries has been buried”..
He explained that, with the latest court pronouncement, the Ad-hoc delegates will NOT vote in the House of Assembly primary on May 21, 2022, House of Representative’s primary on May 22, 2022, Senatorial primary on May 23 as well as the May 25, 2022 governorship primary.
Barr Akpan said by the time the substantive suit would have been done with, it would be too late to talk about the ad hoc delegate issue, meaning it would have been overtaken by time.
