Senior Advocate of Nigeria Magaji Mato has asserted that the Supreme Court judgment in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership dispute was not a victory for any faction but a call for unity and rebuilding.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Mato said the ruling should push all parties in the dispute to abandon rivalry and focus on restoring stability within the PDP.
“I think the question should be what is my own opinion or what is my own understanding of the judgement. I have read both the main appeal and the cross appeal, i am of the view that PDP as a political party and the members, the partisan and the actors therein, should go back to the drawing board, sit down, chart a way forward.”
He said the outcome of the case meant neither side could claim full victory. “The appeal itself was dismissed and then not only there, the same judgement of the Supreme Court said the cross appeal they are dismissed. So what that means is that whoever is behind the appeal did not succeed.”
Mato explained that the implication of the judgment was that all actors in the crisis must set aside personal interests and work collectively to rebuild the party structure. “Bury their personal interests, bury their pride, and call all actors together. Sit down and chart a way forward so that the party PDP, which has been hit hard to the ruling party in this country, should come back to life.”
He noted that internal party affairs were not completely immune from court scrutiny. “The general principle of law is that internal affairs of political parties are non-justiciable. But there are exceptions where the political party itself is in contravention of its constitution or the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the electoral act, that any aggrieved party can approach the court and ask for redress.”
Mato also clarified that the dismissal of both the appeal and cross-appeal meant neither faction achieved complete success. “So what that means is that whoever is behind the appeal of the PDP that went to challenge this did not succeed so clearly in this manner the appeal was dismissed So what that means is that both sides were victors before the Supreme Court.”
He urged PDP leaders to prioritise the survival of the party over personal ambition. “What I expect is that they should consider this so that it will not be that you create an exception that will, at the end of the day, make no difference.”
It is not about Wike, it is not about Turaki but the democracy must survive, soit is about democracy. It is about Nigeria.“
Mato added that the intention of the Supreme Court was to protect democracy and ensure political actors do not allow personal interests to undermine institutional stability. “I thank the justices of the Supreme Court for taking that middle course It is not about who wins they are saying democracy must thrive so that no individual, because of his or her personal interest, will strangulate our nascent democracy.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
