The Abakaliki Division of the Federal High Court nullified the recent ward, council and state congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi on Monday.

The court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission the second defendant in the suit, from recognising any of the officers purportedly elected from the nullified congresses.

The judgment resulted from a suit filed by Nnenna Lynda Udeh and 12 others versus PDP in 2024.

The applicant prayed the court to set aside the congresses for being unconstitutional.

Some party stakeholders had, on November 2, conducted a congress and elected Peter Nwele as the state’s new chairman of the party.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Hilary Oshomah, said the congresses did not follow the democratic procedures of the party.

Mr Oshomah noted that the congresses were void, unconstitutional and of no effect.

Mr Oshomah, therefore, ordered that the executives elected during the congress should cease parading themselves as members of the State Executive Working Committee.

“The congress of the PDP in the state is nullified, unconstitutional and of no effect whatsoever,” the judge stated.

Mudi Erhenede, the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, commended the judgment, stating, “Our clients went to the court because they were not allowed to have access to the nomination forms.”

He said while the case was still pending, PDP went ahead and conducted the congress.

“So, the court has ruled in our favour. The congress did not follow the democratic processes of the party. It is a law that all parties should be allowed to have access to the form,” he explained.