Friday, October 11, 2024

Court Dismisses PDP and Sets a Deadline for Damagum's Removal as National Chairman

The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an injunction preventing the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from dismissing Umar Damagum from his position as the party's acting national chair. In a ruling delivered via Zoom on Friday, Judge Peter Lifu mandated that, apart from Damagum, no other individual shall be acknowledged as the acting national chair of the PDP until the party's convention, which is set for December 2025. Judge Lifu emphasized that party members are obligated to adhere to Articles 42, 47, and 67 of the PDP constitution, which stipulates that national officers can only be elected during the party's national convention. The case, designated FHC/ABJ/CS/579/2024, was initiated by Umar Maina, the PDP chair in Yobe State. Maina filed the suit against the PDP and eight other parties, claiming that certain stakeholders within the party were convening meetings to forcibly remove Damagum from his position. He alleged that Phillip Salawu, a former deputy governor of Kogi State, was being promoted as a potential successor to Damagum by these stakeholders. Despite submitting two separate written petitions to Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary of the party, Maina stated that no action had been taken regarding the matter. The plaintiff, represented by his attorney Joshua Musa, requested the court to invoke Articles 45, 47, and 67 of the PDP constitution to halt any efforts to replace Damagum. The plaintiff specifically sought a declaration from the court that the national chairmanship of the PDP is to be rotated between the northern and southern regions, rather than through any procedures that deviate from the party's constitution. In his ruling, Judge Lifu concurred with the plaintiff, asserting that Damagum can only be replaced at the PDP national convention or through a court order. Lifu further stated that any attempt to disrupt the four-year tenure allocated to the northern region without convening the party's national convention would constitute a violation of the PDP constitution.

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