The Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals filed some ad-hoc delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, loyal to the Dan Orbih faction of the party led by Hon. Monday Iyore Osagie.
In a judgment on Friday, a five-member panel headed by Justice Amina Augie, affirmed the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal and held that the subject of the appeals were issues on which the court lacked jurisdiction, because they relate to the internal affairs of political party.
The judgment was on the appeal marked: SC/CV/980/2022 between Hon. Monday Iyore Osagie & others v. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and of others, which judgment was to apply to the second appeal marked: SC/CV/979/2022 involving the same parties and arising from the same earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgment, held that the issue of the choice of candidates is internal to the party and that the subject of the appeals are internal to the PDP in Edo State.
Justice Agim further held that the appellants, who were ad-hoc delegates in the state, lacked the locus standi (the right to approach) the court on the question of what are the party’s actual delegates.
He said, by the provision of the Constitution, only aspirants have the right to approach the court on disputes relating to candidates.