A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by six members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who challenged the party’s Ward Congresses held in Kaduna State last year and also tried to stop the planned Local Government Congresses scheduled for August 10, 2024.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Ode Lifu ruled that the matter was not within the court’s jurisdiction, as it concerns the internal affairs of a political party.
The plaintiffs—Sheu Isa Dan Ina, Mutari Shuaib, Yusuf Suleiman, Nura Waziri, Mansur Alasan, and Jaafar Abubakar—had approached the court claiming they were wrongly excluded from participating in the Ward Congresses held on July 27, 2023. They wanted the court to order a fresh congress and stop both the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from going ahead with the Local Government Congresses.
Represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mahmoud Abubakar Magaji, they also argued that their rights under the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 were violated.
But Justice Lifu ruled that the selection of party officers and nomination of candidates are internal matters that courts do not have the power to interfere in, based on a Supreme Court precedent.
He stated that he found no legal merit in the claims and therefore dismissed the suit. However, he did not impose any cost on the plaintiffs.
This ruling clears the way for the PDP to continue its congresses in Kaduna State without legal obstruction, unless the plaintiffs decide to appeal the decision.
