PDP Crisis: Justice Abang Adjourns Suit Indefinitely

The suit was suspended in order to allow the Court of Appeal hear and enter its verdict in an appeal filed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s faction of the party.

Makarfi is challenging Justice Abang’s ruling on the legality of his leadership status in PDP.

The former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, had approached the high court to challenge the decision of the party to appoint Ahmed Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State, as chairman of the caretaker committee to organise the party’s convention.

Justice Abang, had in a previous rulings held that the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was a product of impunity and nullified the convention that produced the caretaker committee.

The Makarfi led faction of PDP had in an appeal challenged the Jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear the matter stopping them from conducting the party’s convention.

The appeal is yet to be decided by the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal.

However, at the resumed hearing on Thursday, Justice Abang blasted the Makarfi-led faction for going to a higher court, while its grievances had not been heard by the Federal High Court.

He further added that given the development, he will not be able to go on with the matter since the case is already on appeal.

Justice Okon Abang on the Federal High Court said: “My hands are tied, I am bound by the decision of the Supreme and Appeal Courts.”

“There is nothing I can do, I hope parties involved will make efforts to accelerate the matter at the Appeal Court,” Abang said.

Meanwhile, the chief justice of Nigeria Mahmud Mohammed has said that the National Judicial Council is currently investigating Justice Abang and two other judges involved in the PDP leadership tussle.

Mohammed had last week said the conflicting rulings by the judges heightened the crisis in the party.