Supreme Court declares former Kaduna governor Ahmed Makarfi is the bonafide PDP chairman

FORMER Kaduna State governor Senator Ahmed Makarfi has been declared as the authentic national chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) after Nigeria's Supreme Court ruled that he was duly elected at its convention.

Over the last two years, the PDP has been torn apart by factional fighting with Senator Makarfi and another former governor and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff both claiming to be party chairman. Senator Sheriff, the former Borno State governor, recently won a Court of Appeal judgement but the Makarfi faction refused to accept the ruling and lodged an appeal.

Earlier today, a five-man panel of judges led by the chief justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, reinstated Senator Makarfi, earlier sacked by the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal. Reading the lead judgment of the Supreme Court, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, held that contrary to the majority judgment of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, the suit filed by the Senator Makarfi faction before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt was not an abuse of court.

In addition, the Supreme Court also held that the national convention of the PDP held on May 21, 2016, rightly and constitutionally removed Senator Sheriff. It held that the convention acted rightly and was not in breach of any aspect of the PDP’s constitution by setting up the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

Other members of the panel included Justices Onnoghen, Tanko Muhammad, Kayode Ariwoola and Dattijo Muhammad. While Ahmed Makarfi was present in court with a large retinue of loyalists of his faction, including Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, ‎Senator Sheriff was absent from court.