The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Friday restrained the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) from removing Umar Damagum as the party’s acting national chairman.

Ruling in a suit by Joshua Musa (SAN), on behalf of the Yobe State PDP chairman, Umar El-Gash Maina, the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, ordered both arms to only recognise Mr Damagum until the party’s national convention in December 2025.

Mr Lifu based his ruling on Articles 42, 47, and 67 of the party’s constitution, which stipulated that the party’s national officers can only be elected at the national convention. He urged members to abide by the party’s laws.

The suit against the PDP and eight others alleged that some party stakeholders were secretly meeting to oust Mr Damagum, contrary to the party’s constitution and that former Kogi State deputy governor Phillip Salawu was being planned to take his place.

The plaintiff prayed that Articles 45, 47, and 67 of the party’s constitution be invoked to thwart the plan and that the court order PDP’s national chairmanship be rotated between the north and south regions.

Agreeing with the plaintiff’s argument, Justice Lifu described attempts to cut short the uncompleted four-year tenure of the north without the party’s national convention as an affront to the party’s constitution.

This judgement came after the judge had thrown out the defendants’ opposition to the suit for lacking locus standi to institute the case and that the court lacked jurisdiction.