Justice Peter Riff of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ruled that Umaru Damagumu remains the legitimate national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and can only be removed through the national convention.
The decision followed a suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/579/2024 filed by Senator Umaru Maina against the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, among others. .
Mr. Maina, the PDP leader in Yobe State, claimed that some party members were planning a secret meeting to forcibly remove Mr. Damagum, which he claimed was in violation of the PDP constitution.
He further claimed that plans are afoot to replace Mr. Damagum with former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Salau.
According to Maina, he has written to the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to formally express his concerns over these covert efforts.
However, he said that despite acknowledging his letters, the Secretary of State and the BoT did not act on them.
Mr. Maina, through his lawyer Mr. Joshua Musa (SAN), will invoke Articles 45, 47 and 67 of the PDP Constitution to thwart any attempt to replace Mr. Damagum without due process. I petitioned the court to do so.
He stressed that the party’s leadership should serve alternately in the northern and southern regions, as stipulated in the party constitution.
Justice Riff, who reviewed the PDP constitution, averred that Damagum could only be removed by a national convention or by judicial order.
He ruled that Damagum must remain in office until the next competition, scheduled for next December. The court also prohibited PDP NEC and BoT from attempting to remove Damagum outside of the prescribed procedures.
Justice Riff reiterated that party members are bound by the governing rules of the PDP and must abide by them. He warned that any attempt to shorten Damagum’s term without holding a national convention would be in direct violation of the party’s fundamental law.
Judge Riff noted the defendants’ objections and rejected their arguments challenging Maina’s position and the court’s jurisdiction.
He ruled that Maina’s case is based on the need to protect the PDP constitution and the four-year Northern tenure. The judge noted that Maina was justified in filing the suit as a PDP member with a legitimate interest in upholding party rules.
In his final judgment, Justice Riff declared that the NEC and the BoT are constitutionally obligated to respect the national convention as the only legitimate means of leadership change, thereby ensuring Mr. Damagam’s right to complete his term as PDP national leader. I confirmed that there is.
