The appeal court has suspended ruling on the leadership tussle case that is rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The appellate court had fixed today to hear the case involving the two factions of the PDP led by Ali Modu-Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi respectively.
Also scheduled for hearing today was the issue of the authentic PDP candidate for the Ondo State governorship election which has been scheduled to hold on November 26.
Court officials told journalists that the ruling was suspended due to a petition against the judges accusing them of bias; and no new date has been fixed for the ruling.
The three-man panel of judges led by Jumai Sankey said that the petition was filed by Biyi Poroye, a member of the PDP faction led by the Modu-Sheriff faction.
Sankey said the petition was forwarded to the President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, alleging that the court, under her leadership, was prone to being compromised for financial gains.
Subsequently, the three judges on the panel withdrew their participation in the case, pending the determination of the petition by the National Judicial Council, NJC.
She said her panel would return the case files to the President of the Appeal Court.
Modu-Sheriff, a one-time Borno State Governor and Makarfi, former governor of Kaduna State, have been locked in a series of legal battle over who is the authentic leader of the opposition PDP.
The Makarfi faction had approached the Appeal Court to set aside the judgement of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja which upheld Modu-Sheriff as the authentic PDP national chairman.
Justice Abang also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognize Jimoh Ibrahim, candidate of the Modu-Sheriff faction, as the authentic PDP candidate for the Ondo governorship election.
Before the judgement, INEC had already recognized Eyitayo Jegede, who won the primary election organized by the Makarfi-led faction.
Jegede then approached the Abuja Federal High Court, in keeping with the rules of the Federal High Court, to ask for permission to appeal the judgement, but Justice Abang denied the application, saying that Jegede has no local standi to appeal the ruling, and once again reaffirmed Jimoh Ibrahim as the PDP candidate in Ondo.
Consequently, INEC removed Jegede’s name from the Ondo governorship candidates’ list and replaced it with Ibrahim.
Jegede, as well as the Makarfi-led PDP faction then appealed to the Appeal Court asking that justice Abang’s judgement be set aside.
The appellate court fixed today (Tuesday) to hear the matter but the hearing has now been suspended.
With just about three weeks to the Ondo Governorship election, its difficult to predict what the next line of action by Jegede and his faction would be.
Especially as it appears the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have closed ranks and agred to support Rotimi Akeredolu as its flag bearer.
Akeredolu visited president Buhari on Monday where he reportedly assured the president that he has secured the endorsement of party Chieftain, Bola Tinubu.
The former Lagos State Governor had initially supported Olusegun Abraham who lost out in the primaries to Akeredolu.