The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Tuesday, fixed October 31 for judgment in a suit seeking to stop the planned convention of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Justice James Omotosho fixed the date after counsel for the plaintiffs and the defence lawyers adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the case.
The plaintiffs, Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP secretary, South-South), had filed the suit.
They had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission, PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the party; Umar Bature, national organising secretary of the party; National Working Committee and National Executive Committee of the party as first to sixth defendants.
Others joined in the suit are Umar Damagum, the PDP national chairman; Ali Odefa; and Emmanuel Ogidi as the seventh, eighth, and ninth defendants, respectively.
The plaintiffs had instituted the suit to stop the planned PDP national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo, where its new national officers are expected to be elected.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Justice Omotosho reaffirmed that his order on maintaining the status quo in respect of the convention must not be flouted by any of the parties involved in the suit.
Joseph Daudu, who represented the plaintiffs, urged the court not to treat the plaintiffs’ complaints as internal affairs of the party but as a step to enforce adherence to the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act of 2022, and the PDP Constitution.
The senior lawyer argued that Nigeria’s constitution makes it mandatory for INEC to monitor congresses of political parties before they can be valid.
He said that the complaints of the three aggrieved members were that no valid congress was conducted in the 14 states before the PDP NWC and NEC issued notice for the November 16 and 17 convention.
However, the national chairman of the party, Mr Damagum, represented by Paul Erokoro, asked the judge to decline jurisdiction on the ground that issues of convention and congresses are internal affairs of the party.
Eyitayo Jegede, who stood for the NWC and the NEC of the party, aligned with Mr Erokoro’s submission to the effect that courts cannot inquire into the internal affairs of the party.
(NAN)