This is not the best of times for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Monday sacked its Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
In its judgement in a suit filed by the erstwhile Special Adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters Ahmed Gulak, Justice Hussein Baba ordered Secondus to vacate the chairmanship seat of PDP within 14 days.
The court held that Secondus assumed the headship of the party through an illegitimate process.
Justice Baba agreed with the plaintiff that the position of the Acting National Chairman of the PDP was originally zoned to the North-East geo-political zone and, therefore, cannot be occupied by Secondus.
The court directed Secondus, within the next two weeks, to hand over the leadership of the party to the plaintiff or any other member of the PDP from the North-East, who is worthy to pilot the affairs of the party in an acting capacity.
Gulak had in his suit, challenged the emergence of Chief Secondus as the interim leader of the party.
He prayed the court to sack the defendant, contending that by the provision of the PDP constitution and its zoning principle, he is the proper person to replace the last chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, who hailed from the North East geopolitical zone.
Gulak, through his lawyer, Mr. Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), urged the court to dismiss preliminary objections both the PDP and Secondus filed against his suit.
The defendants had challenged the competence of the suit, even as they queried the locus standi of the plaintiff to file it.
The defendants equally challenged the jurisdiction of the High Court to meddle in the internal affairs of a political party.
Justice Baba on November 30, reserved judgment in the matter.
Meanwhile, counsel to PDP, Mr. Paul Isaiah has said the party will appeal against the judgement, as well as file for stay of its execution.
“We are going to appeal this judgement. Apart from the appeal, we are also going to file a stay of execution of the judgement because the National Convention of the party is in March, next year,” Isaiah added.
-Vanguard
