The Supreme Court has declared Ahmed Makarfi the authentic Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The judgement brings an end more than a year of chairmanship tussle between Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff, former Governor of Borno State.
In the judgement delivered on Wednesday, the apex court conferred validity on the PDP convention held in Port-Harcourt in May 2016, which ousted Sheriff as the party’s Chairman.
Walter Onnoghen, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), presided over the five-man panel but it was Rhodes Vivour who read the judgement, saying all PDP members are bound by the decisions of that convention.
It held that the convention was not in breach of any aspect of the PDP Constitution by setting up a National Caretaker Committee led by Makarfi.
The judgement sparked jubilation among Makarfi and his loyalists, who were led to the court by the likes of Ayodele Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State, and Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State.