By The Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP) has stated that the Federal High Court in Abuja did not halt the operations of the South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee appointed by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
According to the CP-PDP, the court order, issued on Monday, March 10, 2025, cannot apply retroactively. By the time the order was given, the seven-member caretaker committee led by Chief Emmanuel Ogidi had already been appointed and had assumed office, in accordance with the PDP Constitution.
Barr. Obinna Nwachukwu, the protem national coordinator of CP-PDP, clarified that the Ogidi-led committee was appointed on Friday, March 7, 2025. They officially took over at 1:00 am on Monday, March 10, immediately after the tenure of the previous executive ended at midnight on Sunday, March 9.
He further explained that the NWC’s appointment of the caretaker committee was in compliance with an earlier ruling from the High Court of Bayelsa State. That ruling, in case No. BYHC/YHC/CV/99/2025, directed the PDP to establish a caretaker committee to prevent a leadership vacuum after the previous executive’s term expired.
“The law is clear—a court order cannot undo an action that has already been completed,” Nwachukwu stated. “The purpose of a court order is to prevent an act, not to reverse one that has already taken place. Additionally, one court cannot overturn the decision of another court of equal jurisdiction.”
The CP-PDP warned against misrepresenting the court’s decision, saying some individuals were deliberately creating confusion to disrupt the caretaker committee’s work. The group reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining party unity and strengthening democracy in Nigeria.
