Court Sacks Taraba State PDP Chairman, Reinstates Predecessor

By SouthernVoicenews

A Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, on Monday, July 17, 2023, has ordered Alhaji Abubakar Bawa from parading himself as the chairman, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Taraba state chapter.

The judgment which was presided over by Justice Nuhu Adi, had the court also  re-instating Alhaji Inuwa Bakari the deputy chairman of the party in the state who was illegally removed to resume work back to office as the acting chairman of PDP in the State.

The plaintiffs, Ibrahim Abdulahi, Shamang Moses and the PDP deputy chairman Inuwa Bakari had approached the court accusing the PDP of unconstitutionally appointing Abubakar Bawa as the PDP chairman in the state after the resignation of the former chairman of the party, Agbu Kefas.

Kefas had earlier in April 2022 resigned the position of the Taraba State PDP chairman, before he contested and won the governorship of the state under the platform of PDP while his deputy Bakari stepped in then in an acting capacity as the party’s chairman.

Few days to the expiration of the administration of the recent past governor of the state Darius Ishaku, Abubakar Bawa, the then Special Adviser to the former governor on political matters was appointed as the substantive chairman of the party in the state, a development which did not go down well with the acting chairman (Bakari) and other PDP members who approach the court.

In a suit number TRSJ/62/23, the plaintiffs asked the Taraba High Court to set aside the appointment of Bawa as substantive chairman of the party since his appointment did not follow the constitution and the lay down rules of the party. 

Delivering his judgment, Justice Adi ruled that the appointment of Abubakar Bawa was not done in consonance with the constitution of the PDP and is null and void.

The judge therefore set aside the appointment of the chairman and restrain Bawa from perpetually occupying the office.
Adi further re-instated Alhaji Inuwa Bakari back to the office as the Acting Chairman of PDP in Taraba State.

When contacted, the Acting Chairman Inuqa Bakari told our correspondent that he was ready to resume work at the PDP office in the next few hours without delay, he call on the party supporters in the state to continue to have hope and work hard to support the party and the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas for the progress of the state. 

As at the time of this report, Abubakar Bawa said he was consulting his lawyers over the judgment to know the next actions.