Appeal Court Vacates Order Barring Secondus, Omehia, Opara From Attending PDP’s Meetings

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the orders issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, which had prohibited three prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from attending further meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). The leaders affected are former National Chairman Uche Secondus, former Rivers Governor Celestine Omehia, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Austin Opara.

In three separate unanimous rulings delivered on Friday, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal upheld the appeals filed by Secondus, Omehia, and Opara, concluding that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over the issue.

The appellate court ruled that matters related to attending political party meetings or participating in internal party activities are strictly within the party’s jurisdiction and not subject to judicial review.

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The court further held that the Federal High Court should not have considered the cases, emphasizing that disputes concerning the internal affairs of a political party are not amenable to judicial intervention.

Additionally, the Court of Appeal declared the proceedings conducted in the Federal High Court, including the restraining orders issued ex-parte by Justice Ekwo on April 5, as null and void