By EMEM IDIO, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has ordered the Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to pay the sum of N105 million outstanding arrears of rent to the landlord of its state secretariat complex, in Yenagoa the state capital.

Delivering his judgement on Suit No: YNC/50/2019, on Thursday, Justice T. Cocodia, granted the landlord and former council chairman, Mr Chubby Walson’s declaration, that he is entitled to payment of rent from the PDP for the use of his six-winged storey building located along Alamieyeseigha Expressway, Yenagoa, as Corporate Secretariat complex of the PDP from August 2008 till date.

He ordered, “That the PDP should pay the landlord the sum of N85 million being the balance of unpaid rent from July 2010 to July 2018 for a six-winged storey building used as corporate secretariat of the party in Bayelsa State.”

Justice Cocodia also ordered the PDP to pay the due rent of N20 million to the landlord as rent from July 2018 to July 2019 if the matter transcends August 1, 2019.

A property owner and former council chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Mr Chubby Walson, last year had dragged the PDP, Bayelsa State chapter to a state high court for failure to pay accumulated rent arrears since 2010.

In his reaction to the judgment, counsel to the landlord, Kelvin Ejelonu Esq, described the judgement as well deserved as not only did the claimant prove his case but also the defendant (PDP) did not in anyway discountenance the case of the claimant which was established by a preponderance of the evidence, adding that “the judgment reemphasizes the fact that once you have a legal right and you pursue same through the courts you are sure to get justice.” (Vanguard)

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