The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagun, and the party’s national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), disagreed in court on Tuesday over who has the power to appoint a lawyer to represent the party.

The development occurred at the hearing of a suit seeking to stop the PDP’s planned national convention before Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

While Mr Damagum, who was present in court, in a letter he personally signed, mandated Chris Uche (SAN) to represent PDP in the suit, Mr Ajibade insisted that he was the only authority that could appoint a legal representation for the party.

The plaintiffs, Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South), had filed the suit.

They had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the party; Umar Bature, national organising secretary of the party; the national working committee (NWC), and the national executive committee (NEC) of the party as first to sixth defendants, respectively.

The plaintiffs had instituted the suit to stop the planned national conventions of the PDP on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, where its new national officers are expected to be elected.

When the matter was called on Tuesday, Joseph Daudu (SAN) announced the appearance for the three plaintiffs.

But Mr Uche, along with more than five other senior advocates, announced an appearance for PDP, a move that was immediately countered by Mr Ajibade, who also announced an appearance for the party.

Mr Uche informed Mr Omotosho that he had a letter from the national chairman appointing him to represent the party. Meanwhile, Mr Ajibade replied that he was the sole authority vested with power by the PDP constitution to appoint legal representation for the party.

Mr Ajibade cited some judgments to back his argument.

The judge then stood down the hearing of the matter for ten minutes to allow Messrs Damagun and Ajibade to resolve their differences.

Meanwhile, when the case was recalled, the two parties reported that they were unable to reconcile on legal representation, prompting Mr Uche to seek a short adjournment to enable Messrs Damagun and Ajibade to agree on common ground.

Responding, Mr Daudu, who appeared for the plaintiffs, prayed the judge to go ahead with the hearing of his client’s matter if, on the next adjourned date, the two parties were unable to resolve their differences.

Mr Omotosho subsequently fixed October 16 for the hearing of the matter.

Earlier, the judge joined Mr Damagum, Ali Odefa, and Emmanuel Ogidi as the eighth, ninth, and tenth defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025.

They were joined in two separate applications argued by their respective lawyers, Paul Erokoro (SAN) and Audu Anuga (SAN).

Mr Erokoro, while arguing Mr Damagum’s motion for joinder, informed the court that he was a necessary party on account of his being the party’s national chairman, chairman of the National Working Committee (NWC), chairman of the National Executive Committee, as well as the chairman of the convention committee.

Mr Anuga, while moving the motion for joinder on Messrs Odefa and Ogidi’s behalf, told the court that the two were officers of the PDP who would be affected one way or the other by the outcome of the case.

Although Mr Daudu vehemently opposed the application, the judge granted the request.

He then ordered the three plaintiffs to join them as the seventh, eighth, and ninth defendants, respectively.

The judge also ordered the plaintiffs to make consequential amendments to the names of the three people to reflect them in the processes that would be filed in respect of the matter.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was also present in court.

(NAN)