A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State Capital on Friday, upheld the suspension of a factional chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in the state, Samson Bamgbose, and five others.
Bamgbose and five others were on the 9th of November, 2020, suspended as members of the State Working Committee and State Executive Committee of the PDP over anti-party activities.
They were suspended shortly after the death of the late Senator representing Ogun East, Senator Buruji Kashamu, for allegedly collapsing the structure of the party with an opposition group in the party.
Bamgbose and the five others headed to the court to challenge their suspension.
Bamgbose and five others had sued leadership of the PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission, Inspector General of Police, and three other members of the PDP, seeking to have their suspension upturned.
But, the court on Friday restrained Bamgbose from parading himself as the chairman of PDP in Ogun State.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in his ruling on Suit No: FHC/AB/CS/112/2020 declared that the suspension was valid.
Counsel to the defendants, Mrs Ifeoma Esom, asked the court to dismiss the suit for lack of jurisdiction because the suit relates to internal affairs of the PDP.
The counsel argued that the plaintiffs having been suspended by the state PDP lacked the power to file a case against the party.
However, the trial judge, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed Bamgbose and five other plaintiffs’ prayers for lacking jurisdiction.
Justice Abdulmalik stated that the suit is an intra-party tussle between two factions of the PDP.
After careful review of the submissions, Justice Abdulmalik declared that the plaintiffs’ actions showed that they do not represent the interest of the party.
He ordered, “Consequently, I have no restraint in holding that the suit is not justiciable…The 5th (INEC) and 6th (IGP) defendants were added as a decoy to deceive the court”.
The trial judge wondered why Bamgbose, who claimed to be a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP did not take his matter to the party before filing the case to the court.
The court advised politicians to abide by the decisions of their political parties or retire from any party they are not in agreement with instead of bothering the court with frivolous suits.
Consequently, the court dismissed the suit and awarded a total cost of N10 million against Bamgbose and N2 million each in favour of five other defendants.