Abuja Judge Sacks Makarfi-led Exco

Tobi Soniyi and Alex Enumah in Abuja

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has again affirmed Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), even as it nullified the appointment of Ahmed Makarfi as caretaker committee chairman of the party.

The court held that the purported convention held in Port-Harcourt on May 20 was held in violation of two court orders of the Lagos Division of the Federal High court which barred the PDP and the Indepdnent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from holding the convention.

Justice Okon Abang in a ruling on Thursday barred the Makarfi-led caretaker committee from exercising any authority or taking any decision on behalf of the PDP henceforth on account of being an illegal body.

The judge also ruled that the lawyer hired by Markafi’s faction of the party could not represent the party. He chose to recognise the lawyer hired by the Sherrif’s faction.

The letter by Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee appointing Ferdinand Obi, SAN, for PDP was subsequently declared illegal, unlawful and was set aside by the court on the grounds that Makarfi has no law to his side to appoint a lawyer for PDP or carry out any act on behalf of the party.

Justice Abang upheld the appointment of Olagoke Fakunle, SAN, as having been appointed to represent PDP by the Ali Modu sheriff-led committee.

The judge took a swipe at the Makarfi-led group for going to Port Harcourt to obtain a judgement from a division of a Federal High Court which is a court of co-ordinate jurisdiction to that of Lagos to obtain a favourable judgement.

Further details later