Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an ex-parte request by the embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, seeking to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from implementing his removal as the party’s secretary.
Rather than granting an immediate injunction, the judge ordered Anyanwu to notify INEC and other defendants of the case so they could present their sides before the court.
On Wednesday, Anyanwu filed an ex-parte application urging the court to restrain INEC or any of its agents from acknowledging or acting upon correspondences from the PDP unless they were personally signed by him. Through his legal counsel, K.C.O. Njemanze (SAN), he also sought to prevent PDP Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagun, from sending any official documents to INEC without his authorization.
After reviewing the application, Justice Ekwo acknowledged the urgency of the case but declined to grant Anyanwu’s request without hearing from the other parties involved. Instead, he ruled that INEC and Damagun must be served with the court processes and given the opportunity to respond.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case for a full hearing on February 24, 2025.