Court adjourns suit to sack PDP NWC members

[Mirror]

A Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, yesterday directed all parties in the suit seeking to sack some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to file all relevant processes before June 10.

This is to enable the court consider them alongside the originating summons. Justice Suleiman Belgore gave the directive when counsel in the matter appeared before him. The court will begin definite hearing in the suit instituted by Hon. Abba K. Yake, Alhaji Yahaya Aruwa Sule and Mr. Bashir Maidugu. The plaintiffs – all of whom are members of the PDP – are challenging the election of 17 members of the party's NWC.

Their suit is predicated on the grounds that the emergence of the defendants as officers of the party is a nullity by virtue of the fact that certain provisions of the constitution of the PDP (1st defendant), were breached. In a 27-paragraph affidavit, the plaintiffs averred that the continuous "holding of office as national officers" of the PDP will "jeopardise the workings and or activities of the 1st defendant, including the conduct of future nomination or election of candidates into public offices".

Some of the NWC members, who are battling to keep their jobs, by virtue of the originating summons are Dr. Sam Sam Jaja (deputy national chairman), Solomon Onwe (deputy national secretary), Bala Ka'Oje (national treasurer), Chief Bode Mustapha (national auditor), Umar Tsauri (deputy national auditor) and Olisa Metuh (national publicity secretary). Others are Dr. Kema Chikwe (women leader), Victor Kwon (national legal adviser) and Anunakar Mustapha (national organising secretary).

The plaintiffs added that "the INEC Monitoring Team," which monitored the contentious March 24, 2012 National Convention, "observed and reported that the mode of election adopted for single candidates was not in accordance with the mode of election stipulated in Paragraph 6.0 (ii) of Page 17 of the Guidelines for the conduct of year 2012 convention and therefore unacceptable to the commission".

In a preliminary objection, however, the defendants prayed the court to strike out the pending suit on the basis that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to file the action, more so that "they did not exhibit their membership cards".

They also objected to the hearing of the originating summons on the premise that "the questions raised for determination are not justiciable". Against the backdrop of the afore-stated arguments, therefore, they prayed the court to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction.

National Mirror