The Federal High Court in Abuja, under the ruling of Justice Peter Lifu, has issued an order preventing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) from removing Ambassador Umar Damagum as the party’s Acting National Chairman.
The legal ruling comes after a fierce internal struggle, where a faction of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) had earlier suspended Damagum, appointing Yayari Ahmed, the party’s Treasurer, as his replacement.
The faction claimed that the decision to suspend Damagum and replace him was in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Following this, the NWC had urged all party members to support this move and stay united as the party moves towards its National Executive Committee meeting scheduled for October 24, 2024.
However, Justice Lifu’s court order has halted these actions, ruling that Damagum remains the legitimate leader of the PDP until the party’s national convention, which will take place in December 2024.
According to the court’s decision, any attempt to replace Damagum before this time would be unlawful.
This legal ruling was made following a lawsuit brought by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina. The suit challenged the NWC’s decision to suspend Damagum and the subsequent appointment of Yayari Ahmed.
In the court documents, Maina argued that the suspension of Damagum did not follow due process and that his removal was unjustified.
He further claimed that this power struggle within the party could destabilise the PDP ahead of crucial political activities, including the 2024 national convention.
The party has yet to issue an official statement in response to the court’s decision.