Mr Ortom had sued the PDP urrging the court to stop the party from expelling him.
A Makurdi High Court has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from either suspending or expelling Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, from the party.
The court, presided over by Augustine Itoyonyiman, gave the ruling on Thursday, according to a statement by the media aide to the governor, Nathaniel Ikyur.
Mr Ortom is a member of a group of five dissident PDP governors known as G-5 who are unhappy with the national leadership of the party.
The G-5 governors are led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State while other members of the group comprise Mr Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpaeazu (Abia).
The aggrieved governors are demanding the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in order to balance the party's leadership structure since he hails from the northern part of Nigeria as Atiku.
But Mr Ayu said he would not relinquish the headship of the PDP.
The PDP national chairman hails from the same Benue North-west Senatorial District as the national chairman.
The Suit
Mr Ortom sued the PDP, its National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC), its National Officers (elected or appointed) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging the court to stop the party from expelling him.
The case marked: MHC/46/2023, and filed on 15 February, comes amid growing rumours that the PDP may expel Mr Ortom who is the PDP candidate for the Benue North-west Senatorial election scheduled for 25 February.
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In the ex-parte order, Mr Itoyonyiman restrained the PDP and its organs "from expelling, suspending or levying any other punishment on" Mr Ortom "pending the determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction."
The judge also restrained INEC and its officers "from receiving and/or acting upon any communication made by the" PDP "seeking to disqualify" Mr Ortom "from contesting" the Benue North West Senatorial District in the 2023 general election... "
The suit was adjourned until 24 February for hearing.
Similarly, Mr Wike recently secured an order from the Federal High Court in Abuja stopping the PDP from suspendingorexpelling him.
Some Ekiti PDP members sympathetic to the G-5 governors' cause were suspended and subsequently expelled few days ago. Among them was Oluwajomiloju Fayose, son of a former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose.
