Adamu Muazu: suits against appointment withdrawn

Two suits seeking the removal of Alhaji Adamu Mu`azu as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were on Thursday withdrawn.

This was disclosed by the legal counsel to the two aggrieved members of the party, Mr Elochukwu Nweke, at a news conference in Abuja.

The aggrieved members, Mr Emmanuel Onu and Mr Ezionye Ndubuisi, in separate suits in September and October filed legal action at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

They were seeking the removal of Mu’azu as PDP’s national chairman in their suits, which had INEC and PDP as interested parties.

The plaintiffs faulted the process that produced Mu’azu as chairman of the party, saying it was not known to the party’s constitution.

Mu’azu, it would be recalled, emerged chairman of PDP in February through the ratification of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

This followed the resignation of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the party`s immediate past national chairman.

Confirming the development, Nweke told newsmen at the national headquarters of the PDP that: “We wish to officially announce that we have withdrawn the suit seeking to remove the PDP national chairman from office.”

He stated that the decision of his clients to withdraw the suit was in “the best overriding interest of the party and in view of fresh evidence, letter and documentation from INEC”.

This, he said, confirmed the validity of the appointment of Mu’azu as acting PDP national chairman and ongoing constitutional process by the PDP to ratify anomalies raised in their suits.

He said the aggrieved members had filed a different notice of discontinuance of the suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, and that the court had officially served all parties.

This, he said, brought an end to the legal challenge over the appointment of Mu’azu.

Nweke, however, said he was not aware of any settlements to his clients by the national chairman of the PDP.

He said: “We are instructed by plaintiff to withdraw the matter and that is what we have done.”

He further said that the legal action taken by their client has prompted the party to do the right thing with regards to the chairmanship of Mu’azu.

“As we pointed out, there is an ongoing process to elect national executive members.If the plaintiff had not done that, I doubt if they will do the right thing,” he said.