The protracted legal tussle over the national secretary position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered another setback yesterday as a Federal High Court dismissed a suit challenging claims to the office, bringing temporary judicial closure to an issue that has deepened the party’s internal fault lines.
In the proceedings, counsel to one of the defendants, Balogun, urged the court to dismiss the action and award a punitive cost of N1 million against the claimant, arguing that the suit lacked merit and amounted to an abuse of court process. The submission was promptly adopted by M. O. Akpan, counsel to the PDP Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, aligning the defence in a unified legal front.
After listening to arguments from all parties, the presiding judge ruled decisively, dismissing the suit in its entirety. However, the court declined the request for costs, choosing instead to let each party bear its own legal burden.
“Since you have joined issues, I am going to dismiss this matter. The matter is hereby dismissed,” the judge declared.
The suit formed part of a web of litigations arising from the PDP’s unresolved leadership dispute, particularly over the national secretary position. Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Mr Sunday Udeh-Okoye and Mr Setonji Koshoedo have each laid claim to the office, fuelling internal discord and repeated court interventions.
