The Abakaliki chapter of the federal high court has awarded a cost of N9 million against the sacked southeast zonal vice chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ali Odefa for arresting and detaining some members of the executive of the party in his Ogudu Okwo ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The court mandated Chief Odefa to also extend the same measure of amount of money to a former chairman of the party in Ebonyi state, Augustine Nwazunku, an Associate Professor at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. By this implication, Odefa is expected to pay N9 million to the eight persons which totals N72 million.
Recall that sometime in 2024, the PDP ward EXCO members at Ogudu Okwo ward suspended indefinitely Chief Odefa for anti party activities. They alleged him to be romancing and attending APC meetings and negotiating to destroy the party in Ebonyi in favour of the ruling APC government in Ebonyi. On receipt of the indefinite suspension, he arrested and detained them in the prison facility in Abakaliki for a period of three months before court granted them bail. Upon return from prison, they filed a civil suit against him at the Federal High Court for human rights abuses carried out against them by Odefa. The court today in its ruling said that the ward EXCO members simply exercised their rights as enshrined in the PDP Constitution, thereby awarding costs against him. This is coming immediately after the same court affirmed the indefinite suspension of Odefa.
