Kehinde Fajobi
The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order preventing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as its Acting National Chairman until the party’s national convention in December 2025.
Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the judgment, directed that no other individual should be recognised as the PDP national chairman before the convention.
The court ruling came in response to a suit filed by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina, who claimed some party members were secretly planning to oust Damagum and replace him with Phillip Salawu, a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State. Maina alleged that these actions violated the PDP’s constitution.
Justice Lifu upheld Maina’s claims, stating that, according to Articles 42, 47, and 67 of the PDP Constitution, national officers can only be elected at the party’s national convention.
“PDP members are bound by the party’s constitution and must always act in line with it,” Justice Lifu remarked.
The plaintiff, Maina, who serves as the PDP chairman in Yobe State, filed the suit after sending two letters to the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, complaining about the secret meetings aimed at removing Damagum. Maina claimed that despite receiving the letters, the National Secretary and the Board of Trustees failed to address the issue.
Maina, through his counsel, Joshua Musa, SAN, urged the court to stop any move to replace Damagum as Acting National Chairman before the convention.
He argued that the national chairmanship is meant to rotate between the north and south regions, as stipulated in the PDP’s constitution.
After reviewing the case and the party’s constitution, Justice Lifu ruled in favour of Maina, stating that Damagum could only be replaced at the national convention or by a court order.
The judge also held that any attempt to cut short the northern region’s tenure without the convention would violate the party’s constitution.
The court dismissed the defendants’ objections, including claims that the plaintiff had no right to bring the case and that the court lacked jurisdiction.
Justice Lifu ruled that Maina had a justifiable interest in the case, as he sought to protect the PDP constitution from being breached.
In conclusion, Justice Lifu declared that the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) must abide by the party’s constitution, and that Damagum, having been appointed to serve the remaining tenure of former Chairman Iyorcha Ayu, must continue in his role until the convention.