On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja imposed a fine of N150,000 on Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for delaying the judgment related to his lawsuit challenging his impending removal.

Justice Inyang Ekwo levied the fine after Anyanwu’s attorney, Ken Njemanze, SAN, requested the court’s permission to file a motion to amend the lawsuit, despite the fact that the case was already scheduled for judgment.

Justice Ekwo scheduled a hearing for the motion on May 19 and mandated that the fine be settled before the next court date.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Justice Ekwo had set the judgment date for March 25, following the completion of arguments from both Mr. Njemanze and the defense attorneys regarding the case aimed at preventing Anyanwu’s removal as the PDP’s national secretary.

Additionally, the judge instructed Mr. Njemanze to provide the court with the Supreme Court’s ruling issued on March 21 within seven days.

NAN further reports that on March 21, the Supreme Court annulled the Court of Appeal’s decision from December 20, 2024, which had upheld Anyanwu’s removal as the PDP’s national secretary.

In a unanimous ruling by a five-member panel, the Supreme Court asserted that issues concerning the leadership and membership of political parties are internal matters and should not be subject to judicial oversight, stating that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over the initial case brought by party member Aniagwu Emmanuel.

The Supreme Court’s judgment, anticipated to resolve the ongoing crisis, has instead left the PDP’s leadership and its members in turmoil, as both Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye now claim the position of legitimate national secretary following the ruling.

In his original filing, Anyanwu had named the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Umar Damagun, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, as the first and second defendants.

In the ex-parte motion labeled FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025, submitted by Mr. Njemanze on February 13, Anyanwu sought two requests:

1. An interim injunction preventing INEC from accepting or acting on any correspondence from the PDP not signed by him until the hearing and resolution of the motion for an interlocutory injunction.
2. An interim injunction restraining Mr. Damagun from sending any correspondence purportedly from the PDP signed solely by him without Anyanwu’s countersignature.

On February 28, the court added the PDP and Mr. Udeh-Okoye as third and fourth defendants, respectively, along with Ali Odela and Setonji Koshoedo as the fifth and sixth defendants, with Odela being the national vice chairman for the PDP South-East and Koshoedo serving as the party’s deputy national secretary.

During the hearing, Mr. Njemanze acknowledged that the case was fixed for judgment but stated he had a motion to amend their original submission to clarify the issues at stake.

Justice Ekwo questioned the appropriateness of introducing an amendment on the judgment date, to which Njemanze responded by citing Order 17, Rule 1 of the Federal High Court, which grants the court discretionary power to amend processes before judgment.

The judge inquired if the defendants had been served, to which INEC’s counsel, Ahmed Mohammed, confirmed receipt but indicated they would not respond. Akintayo Balogun, representing Mr. Damagun, noted that while they had been served, the application could not be considered as the court was scheduled for judgment.

E.E. Ekere, representing Mr. Udeh-Okoye, confirmed they were served and intended to respond, while J.A. Musa, counsel for Mr. Koshoedo, asserted they had not received service. However, Mr. Njemanze maintained that all defendants had been duly served.

Consequently, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case until May 19 for the motion hearing and enforced the N150,000 fine against the plaintiff’s counsel due to the disruption of the proceedings, mandating payment before the next adjourned date.

(NAN)

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has warned that wealthy individuals are turning political parties into personal investments, undermining the democratic process.

Speaking at a technical workshop on the Political Parties Bill (HB1862) in Abuja, Abbas highlighted the absence of ideological foundations in Nigerian political parties, describing them as vehicles for power control rather than democratic institutions.

The workshop, organised by Yiaga Africa and The Kukah Centre with funding from the European Union, focused on addressing gaps in political party regulation.

Represented by Rt. Ishaya David Lalu, Abbas stressed that democracy cannot thrive without internal democratic processes for candidate selection.

“In Nigeria, political parties are not founded on any principle or ideology,” he said, noting that they often serve as platforms for power-sharing among elites rather than promoting public interest.

The proposed Political Parties Bill aims to enhance transparency and accountability by establishing an independent body to regulate party activities, including campaign financing.

Abbas argued that such measures would curb the influence of “moneybags” who hijack parties or impose candidates during elections.

He cited the United States’ Federal Election Commission and the United Kingdom’s Electoral Commission as models for effective regulation, contrasting them with Nigeria’s current system, where the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) lacks robust legislative backing to oversee party funding.

In his welcome remarks,Hon. Zakari Dauda Nyampa, Chairman of the House Committee on Political Matters, echoed Abbas’ concerns, noting that unregulated primaries often lead to crises within parties.

“This bill is key to ensuring accountability, transparency, and proper regulation of political party funding,” he said, underscoring its importance for Nigeria’s evolving democracy.

In his goodwill message,Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, emphasised Nigeria’s strategic importance in African politics, warning that weak political parties undermine democracy.

“Our parties are built around individuals, not institutions, making them easily captured,” Itodo said, advocating for stronger systems to ensure ideological coherence and public participation.

Also at the event,Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), called for greater public engagement with the bill, noting that it has yet to be uploaded online for scrutiny.

He stressed the need for stakeholders to thoroughly assess the legislation to ensure it reflects citizens’ aspirations. IPAC plans to convene a General Assembly to discuss the bill and present its position to the National Assembly.

On his part ,Fr. Atta Barkindo, Executive Director of The Kukah Centre, described the bill as a timely opportunity to strengthen internal democracy and institutionalise overdue reforms.

“The quality of political party operations directly impacts the integrity of our elections,” he said.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has urged all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to prioritise the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027 over their personal political ambitions.

Keyamo emphasised that Tinubu’s second term is essential to complete the reforms he has initiated in governance.

“Every single APC member in Nigeria today should be concentrating on the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu irrespective of whether it affects your personal interest or not because he does need a second term to fully finish up all these reforms,” Keyamo said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

The Minister reckoned that “it will be tragic for any government to come in 2027 and stop all these reforms,” adding that “This is what has happened in the past when you had all the inchoate policies that were implemented.”

Following the recent defection of Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta State — Keyamo’s home state — to the APC, the Minister ceded the party’s leadership in the state to him.

Keyamo stated that such sacrifices are necessary to strengthen the APC and improve President Tinubu’s chances of re-election in 2027.

“Whether I have to make sacrifices like yesterday where we surrendered (party leadership in Delta), it is all irrelevant so long as we are strengthening APC the more for the re-election of Mr President.

“I don’t care whether it affects me, I don’t care whether I lose out politically, Mr President must be elected,” he said.

‘PDP Has Lost Its Soul In Delta’
Keyamo said the PDP has lost its soul in Delta State, with the defection of Oborevwori to the APC.

He explained that Delta was one of the major funders of the PDP, adding that the defection of the governor was one of the major boosts for the APC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Keyamo said, “The PDP knows that they have lost something like their soul. Delta was like the soul of the PDP. Delta was one of the major funders of the PDP; they have lost it.”