0
0
While the apex court, in one ruling, gave a temporary respite to the Senator David Mark-led National Caretaker Committee of the ADC, it, in another judgment, voided the Ibadan National Convention of the PDP that produced Tanimu Turaki as the party’s national chairman. The court also vacated the Court of Appeal order that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) relied upon to de-recognise the Mark-led team.
The rulings elicited mixed reactions from stakeholders last night. The electoral umpire said it would obtain the Certified True Copies of the ADC judgment, study them, and take appropriate action on whether to recognise the Mark-led executive.
Basking in the euphoria of victory, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, said the verdict in the PDP case has effectively ended factional divisions within the party.
However, Mr Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki group, lamented that the ruling has left the PDP without clear leadership.
This came on a day the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), threw his weight behind a suit seeking to compel INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, and three other political parties.
Meanwhile, Senator Mark said the ADC would appeal a lower court ruling restraining INEC from recognising its recent congresses.
Mark’s temporary respite
In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the court, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, faulted the Court of Appeal for ordering the maintenance of the status quo ante bellum in the ADC leadership crisis, which is still pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
