A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday stopped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from holding a planned convention billed for August 17 this year.

The PDP has been occupied by series of intra-party power tussle between former governors of Borno and Kaduna States, Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi, with the former insisting that he is the rightful leader of the party despite a court order to the contrary.

The Makarfi-led faction had relied on the court ruling last month, which nullified the party’s process that made Sheriff chairman, to plan a convention that will see someone emerge to lead it in preparation for the 2019 elections.

Sheriff had approached the court on July 4, asking it to stop the convention because going by the party’s constitution, he and other members of the National Working Committee should be in office till 2018.

The plaintiffs also asked the court to prevent the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP from embarking on any moves to remove them from office.

Also named in the suit as plaintiffs are Wale Oladapo, National Secretary; Dennis Alonge-Niyi, Deputy National Youth Leader; Alhaji Bashir Maidugu, Deputy National Legal Adviser; Hanatu Ulam, Deputy National Women Leader; Lawal Dutsima Anchi, Deputy National Auditor; Okey Nnadozie, Deputy National Organising Secretary, and; Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary.

However, Metuh, who is facing trial over N400 million he allegedly received from former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, a retired Colonel, denied being a part of the suit and said he never attended any meeting where he agreed to be part of the suit.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Richard Ihediwa, Metuh said those who included his name assured him that it was erroneously done and would be removed.

“Our appeal therefore is that Chief Metuh at this time should be left out of intra-party controversies. His only preoccupation now remains matters concerning his health and the extant court trial,” the statement read.