The Katsina State High Court has dismissed a legal challenge brought by senior members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding the party’s leadership elections at the ward, local government, and state levels, which were held last year.
The lawsuit was filed by Alhaji Mustafa Inuwa, a former Secretary to the State Government, and eight other prominent party figures.
They claimed that several individuals were denied access to nomination forms for leadership positions, representing the grievances of 7,905 dissatisfied party members.
In its defense, the PDP argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, asserting that the matter was an internal party issue.
Justice Abbas Bawale, delivering the judgment, concurred with the PDP’s stance, ruling that the dispute fell outside the court’s authority.
He stated that matters concerning party congresses and leadership elections are within the domain of the party and not subject to judicial intervention.
Referencing legal precedents and the 2022 Electoral Act, Justice Bawale highlighted that the court’s jurisdiction is limited to disputes arising from political party primary elections.
The judge also acknowledged the PDP counsel’s argument that the plaintiffs had not exhausted internal resolution mechanisms, but he affirmed that the plaintiffs had sufficiently followed the party’s internal processes before approaching the court.
Ultimately, the case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
