Ayu withdraws lawsuit challenging his removal as PDP national chairman

[okohmichael28]

The suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, has withdrawn a lawsuit challenging his removal from the party to pave the way for the former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, to replace him as the party’s substantive Chairman.

The lawsuit is believed to have impeded the PDP from having a substantive National Chairman since 2023 when a High Court sitting in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, stopped Ayu from parading himself as the party’s leader.

In a notice of withdrawal of appeal tagged CA/MK/88/2024 SUIT NO: MHC/85/2023 dated April 15, made available on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal of Nigeria in Makurdi, Benue State capital, revealed that Ayu has withdrawn the appeal against the respondents filed on the 27th day of June 2023 via Notice of Appeal dated the 26th day of June 2023.
The lawsuit was between Ayu (Appellant) and Engr. Terhide Utaan and the PDP as the respondent.

It read in part, “Take notice that the appellant herein intends and doth hereby wholly withdraw the appeal against the respondents filed on the 27th day of June 2023 vide Notice of Appeal dated the 26th day of June 2023.”

Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has passed a Vote of Confidence on the party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the vote of confidence was passed at the NWC’s 584th meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Ologunagba said the decision was based on Mr Damagum’s efforts aimed at repositioning the PDP as the main opposition party in Nigeria.

Recall that NEC meeting of the party had been slated for Thursday to either affirm Mr Damagum as the chairman or appoint a replacement.

Damagum was appointed as the acting chairman following the suspension of the former chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, in 2023