Court of Appeal Sets Aside Orders Barring PDP Chieftains from Party Meetings

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned an earlier ruling by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which barred three chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from attending any meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) or participating in deliberations or proceedings of the meetings in any manner.

The PDP chieftains affected by the ruling are the party’s former National Chairman, Uche Secondus; sacked Rivers Governor, Celestine Omehia; and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara.

In three separate judgments, a three-member panel of the Court unanimously upheld the appeals filed by Secondus, Omehia, and Opara, ruling that the appeals were meritorious.

The Court of Appeal held that the issue of whether members of a party should attend the party’s meetings or participate in any of its activities are issues to be determined by the political party. The court also ruled that issues relating to whether or not members of a political party attend the party’s meetings are internal affairs of the party and are not justiciable, meaning the court lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine the suits.

Accordingly, the Court of Appeal declared null and void the proceedings conducted in the three cases before the Federal High Court, voiding same, including the restraining orders made ex-parte by Justice Ekwo on April 5.

This development may have significant implications for the PDP, as the affected chieftains can now resume their participation in party activities.