Court Hands Wike Major Victory, Dismisses Makinde-Backed PDP Faction’s Suit
Court Hands Wike Major Victory, Dismisses Makinde-Backed PDP Faction’s Suit
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike wins again as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja dismisses the suit filed by the Makinde-backed Turaki PDP faction, seeking to compel INEC to recognise its faction.
The court affirmed Mohammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu as the PDP National Chairman and Secretary, respectively, and granted all applications by six Wike allies for joinder, while striking out the PDP from the suit filed by the Makinde-backed Turaki faction.
The Makinde-backed Turaki faction had filed a suit seeking an order to compel INEC to recognise its faction on the commission’s official website.
However, the faction of the party aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike approached the court to challenge its jurisdiction to entertain the case. They maintained that the court lacked the requisite jurisdiction to grant the prayers of the plaintiffs, who it said lacked the locus standi (legal right) to institute the action.
PDP National Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman and five others then filed to be joined in the suit as the authentic PDP and moved to withdraw the case on the grounds that it was not filed by the party.
The court granted the applications of PDP National Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, PDP National Legal Adviser Adeyemi Ajibade, Imo PDP Chairman Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, George Turnah, and Abraham Amah to be joined in the case.
The court also upheld Adeyemi Ajibade as the authentic legal adviser of the PDP and ruled that he did not authorize the person claiming to be the party’s BoT Chairman (Adolphus Wabara), to file the suit on behalf of the party.
Justice Ibrahim, while delivering judgment, held that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process, stating that the plaintiffs attempted to use the suit to resurrect issues already decided by various courts.
With today’s judgment, all candidates, including former President Jonathan, who got nomination forms under the Makinde-backed Turaki faction of the PDP, will remain unrecognised by INEC.
