The Kabiru Turaki led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the ruling of the Federal High Court in Ibadan nullifying its national convention, announcing plans to challenge the judgement at the appellate courts.
In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, on Friday, January 30, the faction said it had reviewed the court’s decision delivered earlier in the day and disagreed with its conclusions.
“We are aware of the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, delivered this morning, which essentially declined to grant the order of mandamus sought on the ground that doing so would, in the court’s view, amount to sitting on appeal over judgments of courts of coordinate jurisdiction,” the statement said.
Ememobong disclosed that the party’s legal team had been instructed to immediately challenge the ruling.
“We have accordingly briefed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal and to take all further legal steps necessary to advance our arguments and firmly protect our position on this matter,” he said.
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Despite the court order barring the faction’s leadership from parading as national officers, the Turaki group insisted that its status remained unchanged.
“Notwithstanding this judgment, the Kabiru Turaki–led Peoples Democratic Party, which emerged from the Ibadan Convention, remains legally intact and unshaken, as we await the authoritative pronouncement of the appellate courts,” the statement added.
The faction also appealed to party members to remain calm and steadfast as the legal process unfolds.
“We therefore urge our members to remain resolute and committed as there is absolutely no cause for alarm. The REBIRTH movement remains firmly on course,” Ememobong said.
The statement comes hours after the Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the PDP national convention held in the Oyo State capital and recognised the party’s caretaker committee pending the conduct of a valid national convention.