A State High Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State capital has struck out a suit seeking to nullify the congress held by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State Chapter.
In a suit number HOW/220/2020 filed by Patrick Agukwe and two others against the PDP, the plantiffs asked the court to nullify the congresses that held between March-August 2020, which produced Engr Charles Ugwu as the Imo PDP State Chairman, and others held in the zones, Local Governments and Wards levels.
The petitioners had alleged that their supporters were denied access to buying nomination forms to participate in the PDP Ward Congress held on March 14, 2020 in Orlu, Oru East and Orsu Federal Constituency.
However, delivering his judgment, the Presiding Judge, Hon Justice EF Njemanze declared that “The grievances of the plantiffs were intra party matters which the court has no powers to delve into”
The judge went further to explain that courts had decided in many cases about such matters that “courts have no business adjudicating on matters relating to internal management and leadership of a political party unless where a party goes against its own constitution”.
Justice Njemanze averred that in the particular case in question, the plantiffs did not show from their Statement of Claim that there was any serious breach of the PDP constitution in the conduct of the Congresses, rather they were disputing matters within the purview of the party to decide and determine.
The court cited PDP constitution, saying that the PDP constitution provided adequate remedies for any member who is aggrieved by the decision or action of the party to appeal to any level of the party.
The Court therefore awarded a cost of Twenty thousand (N20,000) Naira against the Plantiffs.
