The Supreme Court, unanimously, in a landmark judgment, delivered on Monday, upheld the 2020 PDP Ward, LGA and State Congresses of the Party.
Recall that some members of the Party had approached the Imo State High Court, sitting in Owerri, in the suit, PDP vs Chief Joseph Ugwulegbo and 63 others, challenging the 2020 Congresses that produced Engr. Charles Ugwu led Executive.
Imo PDP in its submission, through its counsel, Chief Ndukwe Nnawuchi SAN, challenged the jurisdiction of the Court to entertain the suit on the grounds that it was a pre-election matter since Congresses of political parties are domestic affairs of the Party and therefore not justiciable because Courts lack the powers to interfere with the internal affairs political Parties.
The Owerri high Court agreed with PDP and subsequently dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction.
The Plaintiffs, led by Chief Ugwulegbo, however headed to the Court of Appeal Owerri to challenge the ruling of the lower court.
The Court of Appeal, in its ruling, set aside the judgment of the lower Court and ordered for a retrial. Imo PDP thereafter approached the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement of the Appeal Court.
Delivering its judgment, read by Justice C. C. Nwaeze the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgement, agreed with the objection of PDP and summarily set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal and upheld the Party Congresses of 2020 as credible.
We wish to seize this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Apex Court for their industry in upholding the truth. This is indeed a victory for democracy.
Our party is poised to reclaiming our mandate. This judgment has laid to rest the issues against the conduct of our congresses.
We, again call on aggrieved members of our party, especially the Plaintiffs to embrace the peace and cohesion in our party as we move to rescue and rebuild our State and Nigeria at large.