Ayu remains sacked as PDP national chair
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the sack of Barnabas Gemade as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision, upheld the lower court’s ruling that Gemade was not properly elected as the National Chairman of the PDP at the party’s National Convention in March 2008.
The court held that the provisions of the party’s constitution were not followed in the selection of Gemade, and that his tenure had lapsed before the convention.
The judgment follows a suit filed by the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam and his supporters, challenging Gemade’s election.
The PDP has been riddled with internal crisis for a while now, and this judgment is expected to further deepen the cracks within the party.
In a similar development, the Court of Appeal also affirmed the sack of Senator Ighoyota Amori as the Chairman of the Delta State Chapter of the PDP. The court held that his election was improper and in violation of the party’s constitution.
These judgments have raised concerns about the PDP’s ability to resolve its internal crises and put up a formidable opposition to the ruling party in the country.
It remains to be seen how the PDP will react to these judgments and what steps it will take to address the issues raised by the court.
