Sowunmi Drags Damagum, Other PDP Leaders to Court over NEC Meeting

Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja

A former aide to ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Otunba Segun Sowumi, has dragged the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, and other national leaders of the party to a Federal High Court in Abuja, over alleged violation of the party’s constitution.

Sowumi has asked the court to restrain the party leadership from further acting on behalf of the PDP on the grounds that they had refused to hold a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC).

Sowumi, who was the spokesman of the PDP during the last general elections and a former gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/70/2024, accused the national leadership of the party of hampering its fortune in future elections.

This he said was by failing to hold the mandatory  NEC meeting of the party to enable its members review the party’s activities, take critical decisions  and plan for future elections.

He stated that since the meeting was last held on September 8, 2022 during the tenure of the sacked Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, the new leadership under Umar Damagum has allegedly refused to convene NEC meeting despite demands by concerned party members.

The plaintiff stated that not only did the failure to hold NEC meeting violate the party’s constitution, it was inimical to the progress of the party and threatened his  fortune and those of other members, who planned to contest future elections.

Among the reliefs sought was an order of perpetual injunction restraining Damagum and others, including their agents “from functioning or continuing to function or discharge the functions of their offices until they call for or cause to be called and held meeting of the NEC of the PDP in total fidelity and obeisance to the PDP constitution.”

Sowumi, in the suit filed by his lawyer, Anderson Asemota, also wanted the court to order the party’s leadership “to immediately call for or cause to be called and held the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the PDP for the purpose of presenting the activities of the party from the date of the last NEC meeting which was held on September 8, 2022.”

He also sought an order directing Damagum and others “to immediately call for or cause to be called and held the meeting of the NEC of the PDP for the purpose of presenting the proposed guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to the party offices at all levels and procedure for selecting party candidates for elective offices to the members of the NEC.”