A Benue State High Court in Gboko has dismissed a suit seeking to set aside the suspension of Dr Iyorchia Ayu as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Daily Trust Saturday reports that one Nongo Ordue had filed the suit on behalf of the 17-member executive of Ayu’s Igyorov Council Ward of Gboko Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, seeking an order to set aside the suspension of Ayu from the party.
The plaintiffs also sought an order to reinstate Ayu as the National Chairman of PDP, amongst other prayers before the court.
However, counsel to the PDP, Clement Mue, in his reply to the suit, submitted that the judgment of the Makurdi High Court in Utaan versus Ayu, which was marked MHC/85/2023 had sufficiently addressed the issues raised in the present claim of the plaintiffs and the present suit was therefore caught up by a bar known in legal parlance as ‘estoppel’.
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Ruling on the matter, Justice D.M Igyuse, observed that the plaintiffs had filed a similar claim in suit No. GHC/36/2023 between themselves as plaintiffs, including Dr Ayu who was the 18th plaintiff and the said suit was struck out by the High Court 3, Gboko on June 27, 2023 on the application of J.T Injua who told the court that the said claim had been filed by the present plaintiffs’ counsel, Nongo Ordue.
Justice Igyuse, therefore, upheld the submission of Barrister Mue and accordingly dismissed the suit, describing it as the worst form of abuse of the court process.
