Supreme Court authenticates Makarfi as PDP Chairman

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sacked Ali Sheriff as the National Chairman of the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The court also declared Ahmed Makarfi, the caretaker committee chairman, as the authentic leader of the PDP, Nigeria’s largest opposition party.

Business Standard gathered that Alimodu Sheriff was absent from court while Ahmed Makarfi was present in court with a large retinue of loyalists of his faction.
A five-man panel of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, in its judgment delivered on Wednesday, reinstated Ahmed Makarfi, earlier sacked by the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, as the National Caretaker Committee.

Reading the lead judgment of the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, 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 Makarfi faction before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt was not an abuse of court.

The apex court also held that the National Convention of the PDP held on May 21, 2016 rightly and constitutionally removed Sheriff.
It held that the convention acted rightly and not in breach of any aspect of the PDP’s constitution by setting up the the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

The judgment of the apex court was unanimously agreed to the lead judgment by Justice Rhodes-Vivour.

Other members of the panel are, Justices Onnoghen, Tanko Muhammad, Kayode Ariwoola and Dattijo Muhammad.