The lawsuit brought by a group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, which contested the actions of the party’s ward, local government, and state congresses in the state, was dismissed by the Katsina High Court.
In a legal dispute over the conduct of the July and August 2024 PDP congresses held in the state, Inuwa’s supporters and those of Senator Yakubu Lado, a candidate for governor, were at odds.
Inuwa, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), and eight other people filed a lawsuit in the state High Court, requesting that the court prevent the party from holding congresses because they were unable to obtain the necessary documents.
The plaintiffs claimed that they brought the lawsuit on behalf of 7,905 additional party members who did not like the way the state’s congresses were run.
However, through its attorney, Isaac Nwachukwu, the PDP, the suit’s respondent, filed a preliminary objection asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that the plaintiffs had the necessary authority and competence to bring the lawsuit.
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In his ruling yesterday, Justice Abbas Bawale, the presiding judge, rejected the plaintiffs’ appeal, stating that the court lacked the authority to consider the case.
The judge decided that the party’s congresses were primarily internal issues that the court should not become involved in, citing pertinent authorities on the subject.
In line with the rules of the country’s Electoral Act, 2022, as modified, he noted, the court exclusively considers cases based on complaints arising from party primaries.
Mustapha Shitu-Mahuta, the plaintiffs’ attorney, responded to a call by claiming that the state PDP congresses were unlawful and a flagrant breach of the party’s constitution.
While voicing his clients’ displeasure with the ruling, Shitu-Mahuta promised to appeal Justice Bawale’s decision in the appellate court.
