The Former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN) camp has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party is currently without a defined leadership following the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, but expressed confidence that the party’s constitutional organs will swiftly step in to rescue the situation and reconstitute its leadership.
Turaki’s camp’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, who stated this in a statement on Thursday, claimed that the split judgment also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and others.
In two split decisions of 3–2, the Supreme Court on Thursday nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, which produced the Turaki-led leadership backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
In the majority judgment, the apex court held that the convention was conducted in breach of subsisting court orders restraining the PDP from going ahead with the exercise unless certain conditions were fulfilled.
The court further criticised the PDP for proceeding with the November 15 and 16 convention despite clear judicial directives requiring compliance with specific conditions before holding it.
Turaki camp said the three Justices (Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba) based their ruling on the disregard of a valid, subsisting Federal High Court judgment and held that, being in contempt, the appellants could not be heard by the apex court, leading to the dismissal of the appeal.
The statement partly read, “However, the minority judgments by Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar held that the two appeals emanate from matters which are internal affairs of the PDP and are, therefore, non-justiciable. The case at the FHC was not challenging any act or decision of any federal government agency but the leadership contest of the party, and is therefore not justiciable.
“Furthermore, they held that it is not the duty of the court to fish out matters to execute the case for the respondent, because the majority judgment undertook the duty of raising matters suo motu without calling on the parties to address them. This is against the position of the apex court, wherein parties must be given the opportunity to address the court on matters raised suo motu.
“With this split judgment, which also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Anyanwu, and others, this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership.
“To this end, we are certain that the existing organs of the party will take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership on it going forward. This leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend, which, if not carefully navigated, may not only affect the party but also multi-party democracy in our country.”