Odita Sunday 
Appellate Court Verdict On PDP Crisis May Define Future Of Opposition Politics says HURIWA
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has declared that the pending judgment of the Court of Appeal on the leadership tussle within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could determine the survival of the party and the broader future of opposition politics in Nigeria.
In a strongly worded statement, the civil rights group said the appellate court stands at a critical juncture, noting that its decision would either rebuild the PDP or deepen the crisis threatening its existence.
The group urged the Court of Appeal to deliver a judgment guided strictly by due process and fairness, stressing that Nigerians and members of the civil society community are keenly watching the outcome.
HURIWA warned that the verdict could either strengthen the PDP and reposition it as a viable opposition platform or, in its words, “donate the party” to loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whom it accused of opposing any form of resistance to the second-term ambition of the incumbent administration.
The group further observed that public perception of the judiciary is already under scrutiny, adding that the forthcoming judgment presents an opportunity for the court to reinforce confidence in the independence of the judicial arm of government.
HURIWA recalled that the Court of Appeal of Nigeria had reserved judgment in nine appeals arising from the leadership dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party.
A three-member panel of the appellate court fixed judgment after counsel to the parties adopted their briefs and presented final submissions. The court said the parties would be notified once the judgments are ready.
The appeals challenge separate decisions of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered by Justices James Omotosho, Joyce Abdulmalik and Peter Lifu.
Justices Omotosho and Lifu had restrained the PDP from proceeding with its national convention earlier scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, citing alleged non-compliance with relevant legal provisions.
Justice Omotosho’s ruling followed a suit instituted by three aggrieved party members: Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
In a separate case, Justice Lifu ruled on a suit filed by former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, who alleged he was denied the opportunity to contest the party’s chairmanship position at the convention.
At the appellate proceedings, counsel to the appellants, including Chris Uche (SAN), urged the court to allow the appeals and set aside the judgments of the lower court, while lawyers to the respondents, including Joseph Daudu (SAN), asked the panel to dismiss the appeals and uphold the Federal High Court decisions.
Reacting, HURIWA maintained that millions of Nigerians who value democratic pluralism expect the court to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to have been done.
According to the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the judgment must not signal what it described as “the final nail in the coffin of political opposition,” warning that any outcome perceived as unjust could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s democratic landscape.
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