A ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday has overturned a previous court decision that prohibited former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, dismissed Rivers Governor Celestine Omehia, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Austin Opara from attending party meetings.
Following three separate judgments, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously supported the appeals brought by the three party officials, acknowledging the validity of their arguments.
The Court of Appeal found that the matter of whether individuals can partake in party activities and meetings should be determined by the political party itself, rather than through a judicial process.
It emphasized that issues regarding party members’ involvement in internal activities are not under the court’s jurisdiction and are considered non-justiciable internal affairs of the party.
The Court ruled that the Federal High Court did not have the authority to handle cases involving internal party matters and declared the proceedings in the three cases before the Federal High Court null and void.
Furthermore, the restraining orders issued by Justice Ekwo on April 5 were also invalidated by the Court of Appeal.
More details to follow…