Court upholds Sheriff’s removal as PDP chairman

A federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt on Monday justified the dissolution of the Ali Modu Sheriff-led national working committee, validating the convention that produced the caretaker committee.

In his judgment Abdullahi Liman, a judge, held that article 31 (1) of the PDP constitution vested the powers to convene a national convention on the national executive committee of the party.

The court held that pursuant to the constitution of the party, the former acting national chairman had no powers to unilaterally postpone the properly constituted national convention on a day all delegates had converged on Port Harcourt.

He described the action of Sheriff as “most unconscionable”, pointing out that the former chairman participated in all the processes leading to the convention, only to make a u-turn after he was disqualified.

Addressing journalists after the judgment, counsel to the PDP, Dejo Lamikanra, said the judgment settles all the contending issues concerning the PDP.

He said with the judgement, the decision of the national convention to appoint a caretaker committee stands and that Sheriff was duly sacked.