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With two court orders, the Nigerian police on Wednesday, chose to enforce the one some are alleging favoured the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The police stopped the national convention of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, an action that may keep the former Nigerian ruling party in tatters.
Security operatives took over Sharks Stadium venue of the convention of the PDP on Wednesday morning in Port Harcourt and denied delegates and journalists entrance.
In an interview with local television station, Channels TV, the Police said they were enforcing the rule of law.
A spokesman said the police were trying to prevent law and order from breaking down, but PDP in a Facebook post said there was no risk of law and order breaking down.
Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Inspector general of Police to enforce his order on Tuesday stopping the convention.
He also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to stay away from the venue. But another judgement in Port Harcourt said the convention should go on and the electoral body should attend. But the police ignored that other court order and enforced the first one.
With two different court orders and with the two PDP factions hundreds of kilometres away from each, the police decided to move to Port Harcourt to stop the convention.
The PDP had said that President Muhammadu Buhari was using security agencies to decimate the opposition and a former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode had accused the factional leader of the PDP, Mr. Ali Modu Sheriff, of working for the APC to destroy the PDP.
Justice Abang had ordered the convention stopped pending hearing and determination of the substantive suit filed Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff.
Mr. Fani-Kayode had accused Mr. Modu-Sheriff of being one of the sponsored of Boko Haram terrorists and in an opinion article last week he referred to him as evil.
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