The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned previous orders from Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court that had barred three prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from attending the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.
The individuals affected by the earlier ruling are Uche Secondus, the former National Chairman of PDP; Celestine Omehia, the former Governor of Rivers State; and Austin Opara, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a series of unanimous judgments delivered on Friday by a three-member panel, the Court of Appeal sided with the appeals filed by Secondus, Omehia, and Opara. The appellate court found that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to rule on the matter, asserting that disputes related to attendance at political party meetings and participation in internal party affairs fall outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The Court of Appeal emphasized that such issues are internal matters of the party and are not subject to judicial review. Consequently, the appellate court nullified the proceedings conducted by the Federal High Court, including the ex-parte restraining orders issued by Justice Ekwo on April 5.
This decision effectively restores the ability of Secondus, Omehia, and Opara to participate in PDP’s NEC meetings and reaffirms the principle that internal party matters should be resolved within the party’s structures rather than through judicial intervention.
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