The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to keep Umar Damagum as its Acting National Chairman, whether they like it or not. Justice Peter Lifu, the man with the gavel, declared that no one, not even the big wigs at the National Executive Committee (NEC) or the almighty Board of Trustees (BoT), can dethrone Damagum until the party’s national convention in December 2025. So, for now, the throne stays occupied.
This ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by none other than Senator Umar El-Gash Maina, who seems to have had enough of the backroom scheming going on in the PDP. Apparently, some members of the party decided they wanted Damagum out of his chair, violating the very constitution that they’re supposed to uphold. Oh, the irony!
Maina didn’t just sit back and watch the drama unfold. He dragged the party to court, alleging that a former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Phillip Salawu, was being propped up as Damagum’s replacement. Salawu, it seems, was the man the party’s puppet masters had in mind to fill the role, all behind closed doors. Maina was not having it, though, and claimed he sent two letters to PDP’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, to raise the alarm. The party’s leadership didn’t bother to act on those letters.
In court, Maina, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joshua Musa, was armed with articles 45, 47, and 67 of the PDP’s constitution. He asked the judge to declare that Damagum’s seat could not be taken without a proper process—one that involves the national convention, not shady meetings in smoke-filled rooms. Oh, and in case anyone forgot, the PDP’s constitution mandates that the national chairmanship rotates between the north and south regions.
Justice Lifu, after flipping through the PDP’s constitution and exhibits, sided with Maina. He ruled that Damagum’s ousting could only happen at the national convention or if the court ordered it. Good luck with that, party rebels! He went further to say that any move to cut short the four-year tenure for the northern region would be a slap in the face to the PDP’s own constitution.
For those hoping to dismiss this case on a technicality, Justice Lifu had another surprise. He shot down the defendants’ argument that Maina had no right to file the suit or that the court didn’t have jurisdiction. Maina had proudly flashed his PDP membership card, and that was all the judge needed to see. He had a stake in this drama and had every right to take the matter to court.
Justice Lifu declared that Damagum, hailing from the northern region like former chairman Iyorcha Ayu, was entitled to serve out the remaining tenure. Any attempts to rush his exit before the national convention? Illegal.
Those plotting Damagum’s removal will have to put their ambitions on hold. Whether the PDP can get its act together before the next national convention in 2025 remains to be seen. For now, Damagum holds the fort, and the plotters will just have to wait their turn.
