.Judgement is victory postponed, the struggle continues, says Turaki-led PDP
Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja
Hope of the faction of the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) participation in the 2027 general elections has been truncated, following the dismissal of the suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish their names on the portal of the electoral commission.
Reacting to the judgement, the PDP led by Aminu Turaki has described the judgement that reaffirmed the party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as victory postponed, insisting that the struggle to regain the party will continue in the appellate level.
Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a judgement yesterday, held that the suit filed by the Board of Trustees of the PDP led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, was incompetent and lacking in merit and consequently dismissed.
Delivering ruling in a preliminary objection filed by the commission, Justice Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi (the legal authority) to institute the suit and consequently struck it out for want of jurisdiction.
According to the ruling, the plaintiffs failed to establish that INEC had recognised the purported interim National Working Committee (NWC) instituted by the caretaker committee or that they had the authority to sue on behalf of the PDP, in the first instance.
It would be recalled that following the nullification of the national convention of the PDP, which last year produced the Turaki-led national executive, the Wabara-led BOT in a bid to avoid a vacuum inaugurated an Interim NWC led by Turaki.
They subsequently approached INEC to upload the names of the interim NWC as the leadership of the PDP for the purpose of the 2027 general elections.
However, the electoral umpire had already recognised and uploaded the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led leadership, said to be loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Wike, as the leadership of the PDP.
The action occasioned the instant suit by the Wabara-led BOT, which has just been dismissed for lacking in merit.
Meanwhile, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, said “Today, the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, presided over by Justice Salim Olasupo Ibrahim, upheld the Preliminary Objection of the defendants and struck out the case filed by the Board of Trustees and some founding leaders of the party, seeking, among other reliefs, the recognition of the Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee.
”The court held that the subject matter of the suit is the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and is an internal affair of the party- a matter in which the court’s jurisdiction has been ousted.”
However, Ememobong said, ”While we respect the judgement of the trial court, we respectfully consider that it is against the extant judgements of the Appeal and apex courts, leaving the plaintiffs with no option but to appeal the judgement and the rulings therein.
”The plaintiffs have accordingly briefed their lawyers to take immediate steps to appeal the rulings and judgement.
“We are hopeful that as we climb the ladder of the law upwards, the victory of truth over lies, principles over compromise and the survival of true opposition and multi-party democracy will be assured.
”The politics of power, money and greed may last for a while, but we are certain that though our victory may be postponed, as the struggle continues, we will eventually attain it. Aluta continua, Victoria ascerta!”
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