A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Kubwa, Abuja, has sacked Ali Modu Sheriff as acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
In giving this ruling on Wednesday, the court upheld the earlier judgment of another Abuja court, which ended the tenure of Sheriff as PDP boss.
A member of the PDP, Danladi Ayuba, had approached the court to compel Sheriff to obey the earlier ruling by another court.
He also complained that the conduct of Sheriff was affecting the rights of party members, including himself.
Justice Valentine Ashi of the Maitama branch of the court had on June 29 sacked Sheriff after submitting that his emergence as national chairman was unlawful since it was based on amended provisions of the PDP Constitution, which was illegally introduced in December 2014.
The judge faulted the amended PDP Constitution in 2014, which zoned the national chairmanship of the party to the North East, leading to the emergence of Sheriff as party chairman following the resignation of former Bauchi State governor, Adamu Muazu.
The court then made an order restraining all persons who became national officers of the party by virtue of the amended Article 47, Rule 6 of the party’s constitution, from further parading themselves in the said capacities.
Uchenna Oparaugo, counsel to Mr. Ayuba told the court that his client was not seeking an extension of the June 29 ruling but that it was important that a court of law stopped the ongoing tussle to allow members like his client the right of franchise in the party.
“The plaintiff is at stake because as a member of the PDP he has the right to vie for any position or cadre of the party,” he stated.
The counsel to Sheriff, OIuyede Ajibade, had argued that the plaintiff lacked the right to seek any redress adding that he was not a beneficiary of the ruling referred to in the originating summons.
“He doesn’t have locus standi to bring the matter to this court. He is not PDP or Makarfi. Who is he? He is seeking an Interpretation of a judgment and he is not a direct beneficiary. He has to establish a liability,” Ajibade argued.
The judge however held that the previous judgment which sacked Sheriff and other leaders of his faction was valid.
“Hereby is an order restraining the defendant from parading himself, convening any convention or conference on behalf of the party except the judgment is set aside ,” he said.
