Court sacks Sheriff as PDP chairmanÎ
An FCT High Court sitting in Apo has sacked Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the process that produced him as illegal.
The presiding judge, Justice Valentine Ashi, in his ruling, nullified the 2014 PDP Constitution amendment upon which Sheriff was appointed PDP chairman.
Justice Ashi described the amendment as illegal and a violation of the Electoral Act.
He subsequently declared all actions carried out with said constitution, including anybody parading himself as officer of the PDP as illegal.
It would be recalled that Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State, took over the leadership of the PDP in February, this year, to complete the tenure of Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, who bowed out after the defeat of the party during the 2015 general elections.
However, the emergence of a former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, as the caretaker chairman of the party, after top party organs endorsed him at their May 21 convention, in Port Harcourt, has thrown the party into a leadership conundrum.
When this reporter called to know their next line of action, the immediate past PDP national vice chairman (South-South), Dr Cairo Ojougboh, who was on Tuesday named by Sheriff as acting national vice chairman, said: “Sheriff is not bothered about today’s judgment (yesterday). This is because there is a superior judgment in his favour which has not been appealed.”
He however, appealed to party leaders to proffer a political solution to the leadership logjam, saying the courts can’t resolve the crisis.
Also, Sheriff's media aide, said: “Ali Modu Sheriff was not a party in the said suit, neither was his name mentioned anywhere in the ruling. It should also be taken note of that there was no consequential order in that ruling to warrant the attendant insinuations. It is worthy of note that the law does not take implied effects on people.”
It would be recalled that a Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice I.N. Buba, had on May 20, a day to the convention that produced the Makarfi-led caretaker committee, restrained the PDP from conducting elections into the offices of national chairman, national secretary and national auditor of the party.
Before then, an Abuja High Court, had on May 19, directed that there should be no election for 18 offices, including that of the deputy national chairman, national treasurer, legal adviser, deputy legal adviser, deputy national treasurer, deputy national auditor, youth leader, deputy youth leader, national organising secretary, deputy national organising secretary, national women leader, deputy national women leader, deputy financial secretary and deputy national secretary.