Court bars PDP leadership from removing acting chairman Damagum

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday issued a restraining order barring the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as the party’s acting national chairman.

The court ruled that Mr Damagum must retain his position until the PDP holds its next national convention, scheduled for December 2025.

In a suit brought by Umar Maina, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joshua Musa, the judge, Peter Lifu, ruled that, according to the constitution of the PDP, the national officers can only be elected or removed during the party’s national convention.

The judge barred any other person from assuming the position of national chairman before that event, affirming that Mr Damagum’s replacement must follow due process as outlined in the party’s rules.

Alleged secret plot

Mr Maina, who serves as the PDP chairman in Yobe State, brought the case to court after claiming that party stakeholders were holding secret meetings aimed at ousting Mr Damagum.

He asserted that such efforts were in clear violation of the party’s constitutional provisions, which mandate a structured process for leadership changes.

Mr Maina alleged that Phillip Salawu, a former deputy governor of Kogi State, was being positioned as Mr Damagum’s successor in what he described as a plot to force a leadership change without proper procedures.

Upon receiving letters from Mr Maina raising these concerns, PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, allegedly failed to act, according to the suit.

The letters reportedly warned of clandestine moves to unseat Mr Damagum but were left unaddressed by party officials.

Upholding party constitution

In his ruling, Mr Lifu emphasised the binding nature of the PDP’s constitution, pointing to Articles 42, 47, and 67 of the party’s constitution, which delineate the processes for electing and removing party officers.

He sided with the plaintiff’s argument that the national chairmanship must rotate between the North and South, as enshrined in party guidelines.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/579/2024, the judge also pointed out that Mr Damagum, hailing from the northern region, could only be replaced at the national convention or through a court order.

The judge said the constitution of the PDP is sacrosanct, and all members are bound by its provisions.

He cautioned that any attempt to replace Mr Damagum outside the agreed framework would not only be unconstitutional but could disrupt the party’s internal balance of power between regions.

Defence rejected

Earlier in the proceedings, lawyers representing the PDP’s NEC and BoT argued that Mr Maina lacked the legal standing to file the suit, contending that he had no direct stake in the matter.

However, Mr Lifu rejected this argument, ruling that as a PDP member with a vested interest in ensuring adherence to the party’s constitution, Maina had a right to bring the case forward.

The court also dismissed the defendants’ claims that the judiciary lacked the jurisdiction to intervene in what they described as an internal party affair.

Mr Lifu noted that Mr Maina’s presentation of his PDP membership card and his focus on defending the constitutionality of leadership processes gave him sufficient legal grounds to pursue the case.

Ongoing internal struggles

Mr Damagum, who has held the acting chairmanship since 2023 after the suspension of former Chairman Iyorchia Ayu, has faced several internal challenges. His tenure has been marked by accusations of anti-party activities, prompting calls for his removal from various factions within the party.

In April, Mr Damagum narrowly survived an attempt to unseat him during a heated NEC meeting. The move to oust him was reportedly driven by a faction of the party pushing for a national chairman from the North Central zone. Despite the turmoil, Mr Damagum has maintained that his leadership will steer the PDP back to political prominence ahead of the 2025 elections.