The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned orders issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which barred three chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from attending or participating in any meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The PDP chieftains affected by this ruling are the party’s former National Chairman Uche Secondus, the ousted Governor of Rivers State Celestine Omehia, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Austin Opara.
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In three separate judgments, a unanimous three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal upheld the appeals filed by Secondus, Omehia, and Opara, finding them to be valid.
The appellate court ruled that decisions regarding whether party members should attend or participate in party meetings are internal matters for the political party to decide. It concluded that such issues are not justiciable and thus outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The Court of Appeal determined that the Federal High Court should not have heard these cases, as it lacked the authority to adjudicate on matters related to the internal affairs of the political party.
As a result, the Court of Appeal declared the proceedings and restraining orders issued by Justice Ekwo on April 5 as null and void.
