Politics

PDP legal drama continues, as court reaffirms sack of Sheriff

Published

8 years ago

August 17, 2016

An Abuja High Court on Wednesday reaffirmed the sack of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman.

The court, presided over by Justice Nwamaka Ogbonnaya, based its ruling on the ground that the judgment of Justice Valentime Ashi, which nullified Sheriff’s appointment on June 29, still subsists.

It further held that every action so far taken by Sheriff are null, void and of no effect since the earlier order of Justice Ashi remains binding and restrains Sheriff from parading self as the national chairman of the party.

Ogbonnaya also ordered Sheriff to stop taking any action or convening any meeting in the name of the PDP, until the earlier judgment of Justice Valentine Ashi is set aside or vacated.

Justice Ashi, in his judgment, had annulled the 2014 PDP Constitution amendment which Senator Sheriff is laying claim of being appointed PDP chairman.

He had described the amendment of the party’s constitution as illegal and a violation of the Electoral Act and, therefore, declared all actions carried out with the document, including anybody parading him or herself as officer of the party as illegal.

Since the controversial Port Harcourt National Convention gave birth to the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the party, the leadership of PDP has been faced with several conflicting court orders as Sheriff insisted he is the rightful leader of the party, challenging the legality of removing him and constituting caretaker committee.

There have been over six conflicting judgments on this singular case involving Sheriff-led faction of PDP and the Makarfi Caretaker Committee group.

While a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State had ruled on Tuesday that the party can go on with its convention and ordered Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to provide security and monitor the convention respectively, another court of same status ruling in Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang gave a contrary ruling.

Abang in his ruling reaffirmed his earlier ruling on the illegality of the convention and ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, to ensure compliance of court order stopping PDP national convention slated for Wednesday in Port Harcourt.

And barely hours after police sealed up venue of the convention on Abang’s order, another Federal High Court in Abuja once again re-affirmed the sack of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman of the PDP, arguing that the judgment of Justice Valentime Ashi, which nullified his appointment on June 29 still subsists.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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