Court orders Bayelsa PDP to pay N105m rent arrears

A Bayelsa State High Court on Thursday ordered the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pay N105 million outstanding rent to the owner of the building where its state secretariat complex is located in Yenagoa,

Delivering judgment, Justice T.I. Cocodia, granted the prayers of the landlord and former Council Chairman, Chubby Walson, that he was entitled to payment of rent from the PDP for the use of his six-winged storey building located on the Alamieyeseigha Expressway, Yenagoa, as Corporate Secretariat complex of the PDP from August 2008 till date.

He ordered the PDP to pay the landlord N85 million, being balance of unpaid rent from July 2010 to July 2018 for the six winged storey building used as corporate secretariat of the party.

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 transcended August 1, 2019.

Mr Walson, the property owner, in 2019 filed a Suit No:YNC/50/2019, over the failure of the PDP to pay accumulated rent arrears since 2010.

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In his reaction to the judgment, counsel to the landlord, Kelvin Ejelonu, described it as well deserved.

“Not only did the claimant prove his case but also the defendant, PDP, did not in anyway discountenance the claims.

“The case of the claimant was established by preponderance of evidence. The judgment reemphasises the fact that once you have a legal right and you pursue same through the courts, you are sure to get justice.” (NAN)