Justice Abdullahi Bawa-Faskari of the Katsina State High Court on Wednesday, October 2, dismissed a suit aimed at removing Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The suit, filed by Ibrahim Musa, a member of the PDP, challenged the appointment of Damagum, arguing that the replacement of former National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu was unconstitutional.
Musa contended that Ayu’s successor should have been chosen from the North-Central geopolitical zone, the region where Ayu hails from.
However, Justice Bawa-Faskari struck out the case, ruling that the matter falls under the internal affairs of the party and is beyond the court’s jurisdiction.
In his ruling, he upheld the preliminary objection raised by the first and second defendants, declaring the case “not justiciable” as it pertains solely to party matters.
“The matter is not justiciable being one which falls entirely within the internal affairs of the party, and the court has no jurisdiction,” Justice Bawa-Faskari stated.
Responding to the decision, the counsel to the respondent, Isaac Nwachukwu, commended the court’s ruling, emphasizing that the case lacked the legal basis to be heard.
“The court was right to dismiss the suit as it had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter,” Nwachukwu said.
However, Abdullahi Abdulkadir, counsel to the plaintiff, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment and vowed to appeal the decision.
“We will carefully review the certified copy of the judgment and proceed to the Court of Appeal,” Abdulkadir stated.
This legal challenge came after the replacement of Ayu with Damagum following Ayu’s suspension from office in 2023, which some members of the PDP saw as necessary to restore stability within the party.