Supreme Court set to rule on PDP leadership tussle

The Supreme Court is now set to rule on who between Senators Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff is the authentic national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A five-member panel of justices presided by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, said the judgement date will be communicated to parties.

Earlier yesterday, the apex court dismissed Sheriff’s application challenging the validity of the appeal by Makarfi’s faction of the PDP against the judgement of the Port Harcourt Appeal Court delivered on February 17 which upheld Sheriff’s chairmanship of the party.

At the commencement of hearing yesterday, Sheriff’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi, contended that the application was an abuse of court process because Makarfi ought to have requested the leave of court before making the application and therefore requested that the Supreme Court should dismiss the application.

But Makarfi’s counsel Wole Olanikpekun countered, saying the point raised by Sheriff’s counsel was baseless.

According to Onnoghen, the application by Makarfi was considered valid because it complied with the rules of the Supreme Court which provided that an application challenging a decision of a lower court ought to have come within three months after the ruling of the lower court.

The Chief Judge said Makarfi’s appeal was filed less than three months after the ruling by Port Harcourt Appeal Court in February.

During their submission, Makarfi’s lawyers had also accused the Sheriff faction of breach of Rule 29 of Profession Conduct by appointing opposing lawyers in same matter and asked the court to invoke the rule on the lawyers representing their contenders.

Responding to the judgement, the National Legal Adviser of Sheriff’s faction, Barrister Bashir Maidugu, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that the Supreme Court was fair in its decision.

“It is a good development. It is something that everyone will feel is fair because they want to decide the case once and for all. It is good for justice because there is no point delaying. Delaying the judgement will be injurious to PDP.

“The Supreme Court will decide on it (authentic chairman) and those who do not like the judgement will follow their instincts,” he said.

However, the Spokesman of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said, “I have no reaction and I am not making any comment.”