A prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), closely aligned with Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, has taken legal action against the party in advance of the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for October 24.
The party stalwart, Imam Awal, who is believed to be acting on behalf of the faction loyal to Governor Bala Mohammed, filed a lawsuit in the Federal High Court, Gusau, Zamfara State, seeking to invalidate the decisions made by the PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Iliya Damagum.
Court documents revealed that Imam Awal lodged a motion at 8:30 AM on October 22, 2024, asking the court to issue an ex-parte order.
The plaintiff is requesting that the court prevent Damagum from continuing as Acting Chairman, and ensure that the NEC meeting proceeds to allow the group led by Governor Mohammed to push for Damagum’s removal from office.
The suit, which was filed before Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court in Gusau, aims to resolve what the plaintiff describes as a violation of the party’s constitution.
Imam Awal contends that since the removal of the former National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who hails from the North-Central region, the party has failed to appoint a substantive National Chairman from the same zone. According to Awal, this failure contradicts the PDP’s constitution.
In the court documents, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether the NEC’s actions are lawful in light of the party’s failure to replace Ayu with another candidate from the North-Central zone.
Furthermore, Awal argues that the actions of the Acting National Chairman in delaying the appointment of a substantive leader are not only unconstitutional but also constitute an abuse of office.
Imam Awal is also challenging the suspension of the National Vice Chairman of the South East Zone.
He claims that the suspension, which was carried out under Section 57 (3) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), should have resulted in the termination of the Vice Chairman’s membership within the party, including his involvement in critical party organs such as the National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, and the National Convention.
This legal dispute comes at a critical time for the PDP, as the NEC meeting is expected to address key issues within the party and set the stage for its future direction.
The outcome of the court’s decision could have significant implications for the party’s leadership structure and its upcoming electoral strategies.
