The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has instituted a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking among others, a declaration that the March 26 national convention of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is illegal.
The PDP also wants the court to issue an order de-registering the APC as a political party on the grounds that it allegedly failed to meet the requirements of sections 222(a), 223(b) and 225 of the Constitution.
In a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/389/2022 filed for the PDP by its lawyer, Samuel Irabor, the party argued that by a certified true copy of the list of APC’s current leadership it obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party (APC) is being run by a 13 members Executive Committee, whose members fall below the number stipulated in Section 223 of the Constitution.
The PDP, in the suit filed on March 25, 2022 argued that by the provision of the Constitution, a political party’s Exco or Governing body must be drawn from 2/3 of the 36 states of federation which amount to 24 members.
Listed as defendants in the case are INEC, the APC, its Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee(CECPC) and the National Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.
The PDP is also praying the court to declare all prior acts and decisions of the Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC before the institution of the suit as well as all subsequent acts, including the convention of March 26 as null and void and proceed further to order a de-registration of the APC by INEC in line with Section 225A of the 1999 constitution.
