Court dismisses Ayu as PDP national chairman

A Makurdi High Court ruled Wednesday that Dr. Iyorchia Ayu can no longer serve as the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) national chairman since the party no longer has any members in his Igyorov Council Ward in the Gboko local government area of Benue State.

Engr. Conrad Terhide Utaan, a PDP member from Benue State, filed a lawsuit against Ayu after the ward executive committee suspended him following a vote of no confidence in him.

In suit No. MHC/85/2023, Engr. Utaan requested, among other things, a declaration that Dr. Ayu is no longer eligible to serve as the PDP's national chairman since he no longer belongs to the party in the Gboko district's Igyorov Council Ward, where he originally joined the party.

In addition, he asked the court to rule that Ayu cannot claim to be the PDP's national chairman, act in that capacity, or oversee its operations because he has lost all membership rights and privileges as a result of the party's ward executive committee suspending him.

The lawsuit also requested a court injunction prohibiting Ayu from impersonating the PDP's national chairman.

Dr. Ayu submitted preliminary objections to the lawsuit through his attorney J.J. Usman, (SAN), claiming that it was a political party's internal matter and that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear it.

Along with making additional objections, he questioned the plaintiff, Engr. Utaan's locus standi to bring the lawsuit, stating that the plaintiff had not used up all of the party's internal conflict resolution options.

He also challenged the locus standi of the plaintiff, Engr. Utaan to institute the action, adding that the plaintiff had not exhausted the internal dispute resolution mechanism of the party, among other objections.

Justice Maurice Ikpambese, the Chief Judge of Benue State, delivered a two-hour-long ruling in which he found the plaintiff to be correct on every point presented in the preliminary objections and thus rejected them. After more than two hours of deliberation, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, the chief judge of Benue State, decided all of the concerns made in the preliminary objections in the plaintiff's favour and subsequently rejected them.

He maintained that Dr. Ayu's failure to pay his subscription and membership fee resulted in his termination as a PDP member in accordance with Article 8(9) of the PDP's constitution.

According to his decision, Ayu's PDP membership expired when he neglected to pay the required membership monthly fee.

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