The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday overturned a previous ruling by the Federal High Court, which ordered the People’s Democratic Party to allow 381 ad-hoc delegates to participate in the party’s primary election in Edo State.

This primary, held on February 22, 2024, resulted in Asue Ighodalo being selected as the PDP candidate for the upcoming governorship election on September 21, 2024.

A three-judge panel of the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court, under Justice Inyang Ekwo, did not have the jurisdiction to hear the case brought by the aggrieved delegates.

The court emphasized that these delegates lacked the legal rights to challenge the primary election’s outcome.

In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal stated, “The court cannot interfere with how the PDP selects its candidate for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.”

In a related case filed by eight other delegates, the court reiterated that political parties function like clubs, with members expected to follow the established rules.

The court clarified that it cannot intervene in a party’s internal matters and that candidates who did not participate in an election do not have the right to challenge its outcome. The court further stated that the ad-hoc delegates did not have the legal standing to contest the results of the PDP primary in Edo State.

Justice Ekwo had earlier nullified the PDP governorship primary, arguing that 378 delegates were unlawfully excluded from voting. The judge criticized the conduct of the primary, saying, “The exclusion of the 381 delegates, including the plaintiffs, was against the provisions of the law.”

The three delegates who initiated the lawsuit, representing the excluded 378 others, had sought an order to prevent their exclusion from the February 22 primary. These delegates are reportedly loyal to the embattled Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu.