The Port Harcourt division of the appeal court has ruled that Ali Modu Sheriff is the legitimate chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A three-man panel of justices delivered judgment on the PDP leadership tussle – between Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi on Friday. While two ruled in favour of Sheriff, the remaining one supported Makarfi.
This judgment is one in a series of judgments on the impasse.
Mohammed Liman, justice of the federal high court, Rivers state, had sacked Sheriff as chairman of the PDP, while the Abuja division of the court, presided over by Okon Abang had declared Ahmed Makarfi’s caretaker committee as illegal.
Owing to the conflicting judgments by the lower courts, both parties went to the appeal court to seek redress.
Makarfi challenged the decision of Abang at the Abuja division of the appeal court, but the court could not take a decision because Sheriff had already filed a suit challenging his removal by a high court in Rivers.
The PDP leadership crisis started in May 2016 at its national convention in Port Harcourt.
Sheriff had called for a cancellation of the exercise when he got wind of the alleged plot of some party leaders to remove him.
But the convention went on as planned, during which a caretaker committee chaired by Makarfi was set up.
Legal battles and intrigues between the factions then ensued.
The Ahmed Makarfi faction has, however, blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its loss of the party’s leadership to Ali Modu Sheriff.
The faction has rejected the decision of the court, vowing to challenge it at the supreme court.
In a tweet on Friday, the PDP faction alleged that the judgment of the appeal court showed that the APC was out to create a one-party state.
It said the party would meet on Monday in Abuja to take a stand on the appeal court judgment.
Addressing journalists at his residence in Kaduna on Friday, Makrfi described the court judgment as a temporary set back and appealed to party members to remain calm and not be urged party members not to be disillusioned.
“We have utmost respect for the judiciary. So we are not going to take the laws into our hands. We might not agree with the judgment but there is a process and procedure if you did not agree with something,” he said.
“We are going to recover from this very stronger. I call on party men and women to remain calm, we will get out of this sooner than letter.
“A short while ago, the chairman of the governors (PDP) forum spoke on behalf of governors in Abuja and announced that they are heading to Supreme Court, they are entitled to say so.
“As chairman of caretaker committee, I will not take a unilateral decision. A meeting has been called and when we go for that meeting, whatever is the decision of the meeting, will be the decision of the party.
“What my personal opinion may be, I don’t want to say that, we will rather take it through the democratic process of discussing.
“We are are not going to have one way of looking at this issue. The invincible and visible ways of approaching it will be looked into. But what I can assure PDP men and women and Nigerians is that no stone will be left unturned to make sure that vibrant opposition grows in Nigeria so that we enhance the development of democracy.”
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