Appeal Court nullifies PDP convention, upholds Sheriff as chairman

Ali-Sheriff

The Appeal Court in Port Harcourt on Friday nullified Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Convention held in the Rivers capital in 2016.

The court also nullified the National Caretaker Committee of the party constituted at the convention,

and held that Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff remained the National Chairman of PDP.

Two out of the three-member Appeal Court, Justice B.G. Sanga and Justice A. Gumel, in their judgment said the Port Harcourt convention on May 21, 2016, was an abuse of court process.

Delivering the lead judgment, Sanga said that PDP did not follow the provisions of Article 47(3) of its

Constitution in the removal of the Sherrif-led National Working Committee.

According to him, no vote of confidence was passed on Sheriff or the committee as provided by the said article, and the national working committee was not put on notice.

He stated that Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, held in error when he said the appellant committed abuse of court process by postponing the PDP convention. On his part, Justice Gumel, who is also the Presiding Judge of the court, stated that the preliminary objection

filed by the PDP was incompetent.

He held that Sheriff and his executive could not be removed until August, 2017, except the party held an

election. Gumel described the originating summons in the suit at the Federal High Court as over-reaching, and ordered the parties to maintain the status quo.

The judges said that the convention disobeyed a court order and that the court would not close its eye to such illegality. They upheld the judgment of Justice Mohammed Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and set aside the judgment of Justice Mohammed Liman of Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, which upheld the convention and its outcome.

The court awarded N100, 000 to Sheriff, to be borne by the nullified national caretaker committee’s Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Inspector-General of Police and Department of State Service (DSS).

Meanwhile, the third member of the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt, Justice T.S. Orji-Abadua, upheld Justice Mohammed Liman’s judgment, saying that the Port Harcourt convention was legal.

According to her, the PDP national convention was in line with the 2012 amended Constitution of the party and not an abuse of court process. The judge held that Ali Amodu Sheriff had no powers to

cancel the party’s national convention.

She said that Sheriff was only appointed to in an acting capacity, pending election. Justice Orji-Abadua said “going by Article 33(3) of the PDP Constitution, Sheriff does not possess overriding powers over the PDP National Executive Council and therefore, had no right to unilaterally cancel the May 21, 2016, convention.

She further said that Sheriff erroneously and unwittingly absented himself from the May 21 convention after being screened, which prompted the party to invoke Article 31(1) of its Constitution and set up a caretaker committee.

She also held that Article 47 did not make it mandatory for the PDP to pass a vote of confidence before
removing its officers and therefore, upheld the outcome of the convention and the caretaker committee.
Orji-Abadua stated that Sheriff had no powers to cancel PDP national convention.
She awarded a cost of N100, 000 against Sheriff.

Facebook Comments Box
Copyright 2024 ROYAL NEWS. All rights reserved. Digital material on this website, may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from ROYAL NEWS.
 

For Adverts and News/Event Coverage, contact 08061346946, 07030849251. Or email info@royalnews.com.ng

Download ROYAL NEWS app

Html code here! Replace this with any non empty raw html code and that's it.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Subscribe

Popular News

Latest News

More like this
Related

UNILORIN VC hails Gov. AbdulRazaq on 65th birthday

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof....

Service provider: CSO cautions NAHCON, SMPWBs against trauncating smooth Hajj operations

A faith-based registered Civil Society Organization, CSO, the Independent...

Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi suspended for 6months

The Ogun State Government has suspended the Olorile of...

Court sends Ex-NHIS boss, Usman Yusuf, to prison over alleged fraud

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory...

Gov AbdulRahman @ 65: Transforming Kwara State Through Visionary Leadership

By Idris Alooma As Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq ...

UNILORIN promotes Kamal Omopupa, 19 others to Professorial rank as 31 become Readers

AUTHORITY of University of Ilorin approved the promotion of...

Emir of Ilorin hails appointment of Binta Mora as GM Harmony FM

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional...

Kwara TESCOM opens application portal for teaching jobs

... Urges applicants to adhere to rules spelt out...

Tinubu departs Abuja for AU meeting in Addis Ababa, proceeds to France

  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday...

Maikudi sacked as UNIABUJA Vice Chancellor, Lar Manko appointed

Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi has been sacked from her...

EFCC meets real estate agents, reads riot acts + pictures

The Commander of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the...

Buhari gives former UITH boss, Sulyman Kuranga new appointment

President Muhammadu Buhari has given the former Chief Medical...

Traditional ruler lauds Buhari on Mambilla Power Project

Dr Shehu Baju II, the traditional ruler of Mambilla...

Victor Boniface involved in auto crash

Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface has narrowly escaped a harrowing...

80,000 HIV/AIDS Infected Children Unidentified— Group

A civil Society Organisation, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) ...

BREAKING….Kwara NUJ inauguates new correspondents chapel’s exco

The Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, ...

FG reiterates commitment to develop inland waterway transportation

The Federal Government says it will develop inland waterways...

Hisbah confiscates 260 crates of alcoholic drinks in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Hisbah Board has confiscated 260 ...

NCDC announces 600 new COVID-19 cases in Nigeria

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced...

World leaders condemn N/Korea’s hydrogen bomb test

North Korea’s biggest nuclear test of Sunday has been...