Court to decide Ayu’s fate May 26

A Benue State High Court in Makurdi has fixed May 26 to deliver judgment in the suit seeking the removal of Dr Iyorchia Ayu as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, adjourned the suit for judgement after parties in suit adopted their processes in the matter.

Our correspondent recalls that a member of the PDP in Benue State, Engr. Conrad Terhide Utaan, had dragged Ayu to court after his Igyorov Ward executive committee suspended him following a vote of no confidence they passed on him.

When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, counsel to Ayu, Yakubu Maikasuwa (SAN), raised preliminary objections, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit on the grounds that it was an internal affair of a political party.

Ayu’s counsel also submitted that Utan failed to utilise the domestic dispute resolution mechanism of the party in resolving the crisis.

He argued that no wrong was done to Utaan, and there was no benefit or utilitarian value to be derived by the plaintiff from the suit.

Responding to the preliminary objections, counsel to Engr Utaan, Emmanual Ukala (SAN), averred that the matter was not an internal affair of a political party, stressing that there is judicial precedent that has resolved the issue.

Ukala cited the judgement of a Rivers State High Court in the case between five members of the PDP vs Uche Secondus, the position of the Court of Appeal in Oshiomhole vs Salihu in 2021 and the Supreme Court decision in Gana vs SDP in 2019.