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CSO warns judiciary questionable stay of execution
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT) has thrown its full weight behind Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the party.
The decision was made known in a communique read to newsmen by the BOT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, after the BOT meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The BOT predicated its decision on the adoption of the report submitted by Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who was earlier mandated by the BOT to study the court judgements on the political crisis surrounding the office of the National Secretary, which Udeh-Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu are laying claims to.
The BOT equally commended the PDP Governors’ Forum and the PDP South East Zonal Executive, which had earlier recognised Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP for upholding the constitution of the party.
It consequently charged the National Working Committee to immediately swear in Udeh-Okoye as the national scribe of the PDP.
The communique reads, “The Board of Trustees of the PDP at its emergency meeting today, Wednesday February 5, 2025, thoroughly considered critical issues in the Party and resolved as follows:
“The BoT in exercise of its constitutional powers received, exhaustively considered and hereby adopt the report of its committee led by Barr. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN on the issue of the National Secretary of the PDP especially with regard to the declarative judgment of the High Court of Enugu as upheld by the Court of Appeal.
“Consequently, the BoT by adopting the report recognizes Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full obedience to the declaratory Judgment of the High Court of Enugu as also upheld by the Court of Appeal there being no contrary or overriding judgment from any Court of superior jurisdiction.
“The BoT charges the National Working Committee (NWC) to recognize and immediately swear in Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP in obedience to the Judgment of the Court of Appeal.
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“The BoT urges all party organs, critical stakeholders, leaders and members across the country as well as all democracy development partners and institutions to be guided by the judgment of the Court of Appeal with regard to the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.
“The BoT commends the PDP Governors’ Forum, the National Working Committee, South East Executive Committee and all other organs of the Party for their steadfastness in upholding the provisions of the Constitution and operational Guidelines of the PDP.”
The BOT further commended and backed March 13 as the new date for the long-awaited National Executive Committee of the party, and urged party faithful to remain united and continue to work concertedly to strengthen the party to reclaim its rightful place in the leadership of Nigeria.
“The BoT expresses satisfaction with the PDP Governors’ Forum and the National Working Committee (NWC) for their concerted efforts in finally setting Thursday, March 13th, 2025 as the date for the much-anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our Party especially bearing in mind that the NEC meeting is the platform for critical deliberations that will shape the future of our party and by extension, the future of Nigeria,” the communique added.
The BOT finally passed a unanimous Vote of Confidence in its Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and Secretary, Senator Ahmed Makarfi
Meanwhile a civil society organisation, Competent Governance for Accountability and Trust, has advised the judiciary against any questionable stay of execution in the PDP secretariship saga, saying that such would only dent its image as the Court of Appeal, had become functus officio in the legal tussle
Speaking to newsmen on the BOT decision, the group’s National Coordinator, Godwin Oghenero Erheriene, said that PDP BOT’s decision, inspired by the Kabiru Turaki report, was on fours with the rule of law, as “the mere fact that you filed an appeal does not suffice as a stay of execution. More so when the Enugu High Court judgement upheld by the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, was declaratory.”
“We therefore hope that the rumours making the rounds that the other party, which had, within his rights, gone to the Supreme Court to contest the Court of Appeal verdict, is at the same shopping for a questionable stay of execution from Appeal Court, which has become functus officio as far as this matter is concerned.
“We must guide against such impunity and judicial lechery that undermine the integrity of our judiciary and political system. The judiciary must guide its integrity,” Erheriene said.
