Suspension: Orbih’s lawyer threatens contempt proceedings against PDP NWC, Edo officials

The head of the chamber of Dr. O. J Onoja, SAN, George Ibrahim, Esq, counsel to the national vice chairman (South-South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, has written the Acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, seeking the immediate reversal of the Orbih’s suspension by the party.

The counsel also threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against the PDP NWC and the party’s officials in Edo State if they failed to reverse the suspension.

According to the lawyers, Orbih had on May 10, 2024, secured a restraining order of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/601/2024: Chief Dan Osi Orbih V. Paulinus Ebode & 2 Ors., where the trial judge granted an injunction restraining the PDP from suspending him from office.

The National Working Committee of the party, after its 588th meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, announced Orbih’s suspension of Orbih, over alleged anti-party activities.

The party also announced the setting up of a six-member committee to investigate allegations against the national vice chairman.

But Orbih’s lawyer, in a letter dated July 11, addressed to Damagum and copied to the Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, and the National Publicity Secretary to the party, Debo Ologunagba, demanded the immediate and unconditional retraction of the press statement announcing his suspension and all other actions taken in that respect.

The counsel noted that Orbih had approached the court in May when he got wind that some forces within the party were moving to engineer the executive committee of Ward 4, Etsako Central Local Government, (Orbih’s home Ward,) led by one Paulinus Ebode, to suspend him.

He said that the said suspension was aimed at paving the way for Orbih’s removal from office, adding that the PDP NWC must rescind the suspension order or risk being charged with contempt of court.

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He stated that Orbih had through his lawyers approached the Federal High Court, Abuja division, which granted him an order of interim injunction, restraining Ebode, the PDP, and their privies from removing him from office, adding that the court renewed the restraining order on May 28, 2024, when the case came up.

He threatened to institute contempt proceedings against the PDP and the executive committee of Ward 4, Etsako Central Local Government in the event that they failed to abide by the court order and rescind his suspension. The counsel is equally seeking the dissolution of the six-member committee set up to investigate Orbih.

“Surprisingly on the 10th day of July 2024, during the subsistence of the extant order of court, the National Working Committee of your party, the PDP resorted to ‘self help’ by suspending our client in contravention of the order of court,” the letter read.

The lawyer further wrote: “Note that we have our client’s further instruction that, in the event you elect to ignore and /or refuse to accede to our client’s demand contained herein, we should employ and enforce any legal options at our disposal, including but not limited to commencing contempt proceedings against your good self and other members of the National Working Committee(NWC) of the party and the six-man disciplinary committee for contempt of court,” the letter indicated.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE