The Federal High Court in Abuja, has restrained the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Ilya Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the party.
The court ordered that no other person must be recognised as PDP national chairman other than Mr Damagum until the national convention of the party scheduled for December 2025
Justice Peter Lifu while delivering judgment virtually issued the restraining order against PDP NEC, BoT and others in a suit instituted against them by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina.
The judge held that in line with Articles 42, 47 and 67 of PDP, it is only at the National Convention of the party that national officers can be elected .
PDP members are bound by the Constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law
The plaintiff, who claimed to be chairman of PDP in Yobe state had instituted the suit against PDP at it’s National level and eight others alleging that some stakeholders of the party have been holding clandestine meetings to forcefully remove Mr Damagum from office in gross violation of the party’s Constitution.
He said that a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Phillip Salawu was being pushed forward as replacement for Mr Damagun by the stakeholders.
Mr Maina claimed that upon becoming aware of the plan, two separate letters complaining against the clandestine meetings were delivered to the national secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and that despite the acknowledgment of the two letters, the National Secretary and BoT members have never deemed it fit to act on the letters and their claims.
Justice Lifu also held that any attempt to truncate un-exhausted four years tenure of the northern region without the national convention of the party will amount to an affront to the Constitution of the PDP.
Mr Damagum having been appointed from the northern region where the former national chairman Senator Iyorcha Ayu hailed from is entitled to serve out the remaining tenure of the national chairman.
