The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday overturned a lower court’s decision that had prevented former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus; former Rivers Governor, Celestine Omehia; and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, from participating in the party’s meetings.
In three separate judgments, a three-member panel of the appellate court unanimously ruled in favor of the appeals filed by the three PDP members, finding merit in their arguments.
The initial order, issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, had barred Secondus, Omehia, and Opara from attending any meetings of the PDP’s National Executive Committee or engaging in the meetings’ deliberations or proceedings.
However, the Court of Appeal determined that the matter of whether party members should attend meetings or engage in party activities is an internal issue to be decided by the political party itself. The court further held that such matters, being internal party affairs, are not justiciable and fall outside the court’s jurisdiction.
