The embattled former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ali Modu Sheriff yesterday rejected the final judgement delivered by the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, on the leadership crisis of the opposition party, in which the caretaker committee headed by Ahmed Makarfi was declared the authentic leadership of the party.
The court also approved all actions taken at the Port-Harcourt convention saying it was validly constituted as against the claim by Modu-Sheriff that he had cancelled the convention before the stakeholders held it against all odds.
Speaking after returning to Abuja from Port-Harcourt where he had gone to witness the delivery of judgement by the court, Modu-Sheriff flanked by his supporters like Cairo Ojougboh, Senator Kashamu Buruji, among others, Modu-Sheriff said emphatically that he’s filling an Appeal against the judgement immediately at the Court of Appeal.
He also expressed his desire to immediately seek a stay of execution order on the judgement from the same court that delivered the judgement.
He insisted that the judgement by the Federal High Court Port-Harcourt cannot hold given the fact that three other courts of coordinate jurisdiction had earlier given interlocutory orders on the issue pending when final judgement will be delivered on the matters before them.
According to him, the judgement delivered by the court cannot supersede that of the ones that had given interlocutory orders recognising his leadership of the party.
“The court that gave judgement in Abuja last week and the Federal High Court in Lagos and today’s court in Port Harcourt are all courts of the same competent coordinate jurisdiction.
“Therefore, the orders that we have in Abuja are still subsiting. What it means is that unless a Court of Appeal decides otherwise, I still remain the National Chairman of the PDP.
“Any court that are of the same jurisdiction cannot overrule another court unless it is Court of Appeal.
“We disagree with today’s judgement completely. We have asked our lawyers immediately to file an appeal and also ask the same court for stay of execution because there are three orders before his own, which are of the same coordinate jurisdiction.
“Unless and until Court of Appeal, which is a higher court makes a pronouncement contrary to what we have, I still remain the chairman” he said.
However, before Modu-Sheriff voiced his rejection of the court judgement, Senator Ahmed Makarfi had expressed his happiness with the court pronouncement just as he expressed his desire and readiness to work with all party members, Modu-Sheriff inclusive, in moving the party forward.
According to him, the court judgement was a victory for the party and not for any of the warring groups.
“I’m indeed happy with the judgement on the one hand but also sad that it had to come to this.
“For me there should be no winner or loser on this matter.
“Am still calling on Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff and his followers to join us so that we accommodate one another and indeed all other groups in a just, fair and equitable matter with a view to moving the Party forward” he said.
