Jonathan, Sambo, others taken to court over contempt charge

A Federal High Court in Abuja will on Monday, September 30, 2013 hear an application seeking to join President Goodluck Jonathan, nine  key members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as the party in a contempt suit .

The information was contained in the hearing notices served on them last week by the court’s officials, a copy of which was made available in Abuja.

President Jonathan and others, cited as alleged contemnors in a joinder application filed by a firm, Bedding Holdings Limited (BHL), were accused of unlawful use of patented ballot boxes for the party’s last special convention, without the consent of BHL, which is the patent owner.

The application earlier filed on September 9, was re-filed last week, to include other major actors in the PDP’s special convention held in Abuja on August 31, 2013.

The application specifically seeks an order joining the President and 10 others in the contempt proceedings already commenced by the plaintiff/applicant.

Those sought to be joined include Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President, David Mark; the Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; the PDP and its National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur.

Also to be joined are the Chairman of PDP’s Board of Trustees, Anthony Anenih; Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, who acted as chairman of  PDP essential electoral materials committee and Chairman, Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, who served as chairman, PDP special national convention sub-committee on security as well as the party.

Others are Professor Jerry Gana, who was the chairman, PDP’ Special convention committee and Ken Nnamani, who served as the chairman of the party’s electoral committee.

The application was filed by BHL’s lawyer, John Okoriko of the firm of Karina Tunyan  and Co, following the earlier issuance of a Form 48 on the alleged contemnors.

The applicant said the application was informed by its realisation that the 11 alleged contemnors were, “necessary and desirable parties” to the contempt proceedings.

BHL stated that the ground for its application was that Jonathan and others “are serial contemnors, who contemptuously connived with sixth and seventh defendants/respondents (the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and its Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega)” to use the applicant’s transparent ballot boxes for the PDP’s convention in violation of a subsisting judgment of the court delivered on June 5, 2012 by Justice Adamu Bello.

It argued that except the president and others were joined in the case, in view of “the pivotal role” they allegedly played in the disobedience of a valid and subsisting court judgement, the contempt proceeding would not be “effectively and effectually determined.”

Read more: The Sun

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail