The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a restraining order preventing the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman.
Justice Peter Lifu ruled that only Damagum should be recognized as the PDP national chairman until the party’s national convention scheduled for December 2025.
The ruling came in response to a suit filed by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina, who argued that certain party stakeholders were clandestinely plotting to oust Damagum in violation of the party’s constitution.
Justice Lifu emphasized that according to Articles 42, 47, and 67 of the PDP constitution, national officers can only be elected during the national convention. He stated that all party members must adhere to the constitution.
Maina, who claims to be the chairman of PDP in Yobe State, alleged that a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Phillip Salawu, was being considered as a replacement for Damagum.
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Maina asserted that he had sent two letters to the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, about these secret meetings, but no action was taken.
In his suit, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joshua Musa, Maina requested the court to uphold the party’s constitutional provisions regarding the leadership structure.
He argued that the chairmanship should rotate between the north and south, as specified in the PDP constitution.
After reviewing the PDP constitution and related exhibits, Justice Lifu concurred with Maina’s assertions.
He ruled that Damagum can only be replaced during the national convention or via a court order. The judge noted that any attempt to disrupt the four-year term designated for the northern region would violate the PDP constitution.
The court dismissed the defendants’ claims that Maina lacked the standing to bring the suit and that the court had no jurisdiction, affirming that Maina had a legitimate interest in protecting the PDP constitution.
The judge declared that both the NEC and BoT are bound by the PDP constitution and confirmed Damagum’s right to complete his tenure.