The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has overturned previous orders by the Federal High Court, barring three prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from participating in the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.
The decision marks a significant legal victory for Uche Secondus, the PDP’s former National Chairman; Celestine Omehia, a former Governor of Rivers State; and Austin Opara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Friday, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal ruled that the attendance and participation of party members in internal party meetings are matters exclusively within the party’s jurisdiction.
The appellate court emphasized that such internal affairs are beyond the scope of judicial intervention, rendering them non-justiciable.
The ruling further invalidated the proceedings and orders previously issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, who had earlier restricted the three PDP chieftains from attending or participating in the NEC meetings.
The Court of Appeal declared that the Federal High Court overstepped its jurisdiction by entertaining the suits, as they pertained to the internal matters of the PDP.
With this ruling, the restraining orders previously imposed on Secondus, Omehia, and Opara have been lifted, and the Federal High Court’s proceedings on the matter have been declared null and void.
