The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reinstated Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In a unanimous ruling, a five-member panel of the Apex Court held that matters concerning the leadership or membership of a political party are internal affairs, and courts should not intervene in such issues.
This ruling overturns the decision of the Appeal Court, Enugu Division, which had upheld the Federal High Court’s removal of Anyanwu from his position. The Supreme Court ruled that the Federal High Court in Enugu lacked jurisdiction to hear the case brought forward by Aniagwu Emmanuel.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the Court emphasized that the exceptional circumstances that would justify judicial intervention in political party matters were absent in this case. Such exceptional circumstances include when the Nigerian Constitution grants the Court such jurisdiction, or when there is a commission of a crime or violation of contractual rights.
The Apex Court also noted that the failure to include Sunday Udeh Okoye as a party in the case rendered Aniagwu Emmanuel’s suit invalid, ruling that Emmanuel did not have the legal standing to bring the matter before the Federal High Court in Enugu.
