PDP leadership crisis: Sheriff asks S/Court to strike out Makarfi’s case

THE Supreme Court on Thursday slated May 4, 2017 to hear an objection filed by the Ali Modu-Sheriff national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the hearing of an appeal brought before the court by the Ahmed Makarfi led national caretaker committee of the party.

Both the PDP and Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff had filed two separate motions at the apex court challenging the competence of Makarfi’s appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal which restored the Sheriff led leadership of the party.

The two motions dated March 16th and 21st, 2017 are asking the apex court to strike out Makarfi’s appeal, on the grounds that he (Makarfi) does not have the authority to file the appeal on behalf of the PDP.

While the motion of the PDP was filed and argued by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), that of Sheriff was filed and argued by Akin Olujimi (SAN).

The two applicants in their separate motions are contending that by virtue of the Court of Appeal judgment, delivered on February 27th, 2017 in Port Harcourt, the issue of authentic leadership for the PDP has been settled.

The applicants are also contending that since the Makarfi led leadership had lost at the appellate court, they have no legal standing to file any appeal on behalf of the PDP as an appellant in the suit.

They also insisted that Makarfi’s  appeal had become incompetent having been filed without the authorization by the PDP or its leadership.

Meanwhile, the Ahmed Makarfi faction, through its counsel Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN) had filed a counter affidavit to the motions of the PDP and Sheriff praying the court to discountenance the two motions and allow the main appeal to be heard meritoriously.

Agabi urged the apex court not to give audience to the Sheriff faction because it has no valid notice of appeal before the court and that, being a party in the Port Harcourt matter, they have right to bring the appeal before the court.

However, the five member panel of justices of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Tanko Mohammed gave the Sheriff faction 21 days within which to react to the counter affidavit filed by the Makarfi group and fixed May 4, 2017 to hear the two motions.

It would be recalled that the Senator Ahmed Makarfi lead faction had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal, Port-Harcourt division, which affirmed Senator Ali Modi-sheriff faction as the authentic leadership of the PDP.