A judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim on Friday, September 30, 2022, held that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter brought before it because leadership of political parties is an internal affair.
By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Dan Orbih, which sought to stamp his faction as the legitimate one in Edo State.
Orbih and the Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki, have been in a tussle for the leadership of the Party in the State.
The Governor, who dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) after his 2nd term bid was opposed by his erstwhile godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, defected to the PDP in June 2020 and was re-elected under its platform.
The suit by Orbih sought the court to authenticate the ad hoc delegate elections conducted by his faction and to invalidate the one conducted by Gov. Obaseki’s faction.
However, the Apex Court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim on Friday, September 30, 2022, held that IT lacked jurisdiction over the matter brought before it because leadership of political parties is an internal affair.
The Court also stated that in the appeal marked SC/CV/979/2022, filed by Monday Osagie, that the appeal lacked merit because it is not justiciable.
Justice Agim, therefore, admonished political parties to always adhere strictly to their guidelines, rules and regulations in order to promote genuine democracy.
On Wednesday, a Federal High Court sitting in Benin City ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish the names of candidates produced by the Obaseki-led faction of the Edo PDP as standard-bearers of the party in the forthcoming 2023 elections.
The plaintiffs include the party’s candidate for Edo South senatorial district, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen; Sunny Aguebor for Oredo federal constituency, and the flag bearer for Akoko Edo federal constituency, Kabiru Adjoto, among others.