By joshua “Judgment in the Right Direction”: Kogi PDP Chairman Lauds Appeal Court Ruling Affirming Abdulrahman Leadership
The Kogi State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Muhammed Sanni Gambo, has described the Federal High Court judgment affirming the Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman-led PDP Caretaker Committee as “a decision in the right direction” and a victory for party unity and democracy.
Hon. Gambo made this known in a statement issued to Newsmen in Lokoja, said the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja that unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by the Turaki Group has made the PDP one strong family.
Recalled that the appeal had challenged the January judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, which recognized the Abdulrahman-led Peoples Democratic Party Caretaker Committee as the legitimate leadership structure of the party.
“The judgment of the Court of Appeal has put to rest all distractions and needless litigation. It is in tandem with the yearning and aspirations of PDP members in Kogi State and Nigerians who are desirous of a focused opposition and the return of the PDP Government at all levels,” Hon. Gambo stated.
Expressing joy and appreciation over the ruling, the Kogi PDP Chairman said: “We are elated by the development. That judgment is not just a legal victory; it is a victory for the soul of our party. PDP members across Kogi State have been waiting for clarity, the judiciary has provided it. We appreciate the wisdom of the justices of the Court of Appeal for upholding the rule of law.”
Hon. Gambo further described the Caretaker Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman, and his team as “people of high integrity who have shown commitment, maturity, and selflessness in steering the affairs of the party during a turbulent period.” He lauded the giant strides recorded by the committee, especially the successful conduct of the party’s National Convention that produced the current National Working Committee as well as candidates for the 2027 general election.
“Now that this distraction has been put to bed, Nigerians will witness a refocused PDP leadership poised to rebuild the party from the grassroots and take over Aso Rock in the next electoral cycle. Kogi PDP is solidly behind the Abdulrahman-led leadership 100%. We have no other leadership than the one recognized by law and affirmed by the courts,” he affirmed.
In its ruling, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal upheld the earlier decision of the Federal High Court, which had affirmed the legitimacy of the Abdulrahman-led Caretaker Committee that organized the party’s National Convention where the current members of the National Working Committee were elected.
The Federal High Court, in a judgment delivered in January this year, declined to recognize the executive produced by the Turaki Group’s Ibadan convention, maintaining that the Abdulrahman-led committee remained the valid leadership structure empowered to conduct the party’s affairs.
Delivering judgment on the appeal few weeks ago, the appellate court held that the matter had become academic and no longer presented any live issue requiring judicial determination. The court consequently dismissed the appeal, effectively affirming the legal standing of the Abdulrahman-led Caretaker Committee and the NWC elected through the convention it conducted.
The ruling the Kogi PDP Chairman said has further strengthen the position of the current PDP leadership and bring clarity to the prolonged leadership dispute within the party ahead of future elections.