By Citizenship Newspaper
The Federal High Court in Abuja, will on October 31st, give judgment in a suit seeking to stop the 2025, National Convention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The Plaintiffs are before Justice James Omotosho, challenging the November 15 and 16, convention scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State on grounds of violations of the party’s rules.
The Plaintiffs are Hon Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Hon Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, Umar Baturrle, National Organizing Secretary of the party, NWC and NEC of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi are mentioned as the defendants.
When the matter was called up Tuesday, Justice Omotosho still reaffirmed that his order on maintaining status quo in respect of the Convention must not be flouted by any of the parties involved in the suit.
The judge maintained that he would not hesitate to nullify any step taken by any of the parties during the pendency of the case.
During the proceedings, Joseph Daudu SAN who represented the the three aggrieved members urged the court not to treat the complaints of the plaintiffs as internal affairs of the party but a step to enforce adherence to the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and the PDP Constitution.
The senior lawyer argued that Nigeria’s Constitution makes mandatory for the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to monitor Congresse of political parties before they can be valid.
He said that the complaints of the three aggrieved members was that no valid Congresse were conducted in the 14 states before the PDP NWC and NEC issued notice for the November 16 and 17 Convention.
Counsel to the acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Paul Erokoro SAN asked the judge to decline jurisdiction on the ground that issues of Convention and Congress are internal affairs of the party.
In his argument, counsel to the National Working Committee(NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) Eyitayo Jegede SAN, also posited that the courts cannot inquire into the internal affairs of the party.
