Supreme Court fines Sheriff for trying to stop Makarfi’s appeal

The move by the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to have the Supreme Court, dismiss the application of Senator Ahmed Makarfi challenging his emergence as the authentic chairman of the party has been sacked.

The apex court also awarded an unstated fine against Sheriff.

Following a serious legal battle, an Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on February 27 declared Sheriff the legitimate national chairman of PDP.

However, Senator Makarfi, the Caretaker Committee chairman of the party had on March 16, approached the apex court challenging the declaration of Sheriff by the appellant court as the authentic PDP leader.

But in a move to stop Makarfi’s appeal, Sheriff on March 21, filled an application to the Supreme Court and asked it to stop the Supreme Court from hearing Makarfi’s appeal.

When the case was heard on Monday, Mr. Sheriff’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi, argued that the application by Makarfi was an abuse of court process.

According to Sheriff’s lawyer, Makarfi ought to have requested the leave of court before making the application. He added that the Makarfi’s faction of the PDP was not recognised by the party and that he (Sheriff) as the legitimate chairman did not authorise anyone to file an appeal on behalf of the party.

He therefore prayed the court to dismiss the application.

Read also: Don’t go to media, petition suspected corrupt judges to NJC, Onnoghen tells Nigerians

In his response however, counsel to Makarfi, Wale Olanipekun, asked the court to disregard the argument of Mr. Olujimi, describing them as baseless.

Finally ruling on the matter, the Supreme Court, in its submission read by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen, said, according to the laws of the apex court, appeals must be filed within three months after the appeal court ruling and the application in question was so filed and as such is deemed filed.

Consequently, he gave a unanimous ruling in favour of the Makarfi faction, and awarded an unstated fine against the faction led by Mr. Sheriff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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