The Taraba State High Court in Jalingo, the state capital, has reinstated Alhaji Inuwa Bakari as the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The reinstated party interim chairman’s wishes were granted in the ruling presided over by Justice Nuhu Adi.
Former governor Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku removed Bakari from office and appointed his former Special Adviser, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa.
Bakari was unhappy with the former governor’s choice and petitioned the court to overturn Bawa’s appointment on the grounds that proper procedures, as outlined in the party’s constitution, had not been followed.
After a lengthy ruling, the judge who called Bawa’s appointment “unconstitutional” reinstated Bakari immediately.
He requested Bawa to stop acting like the party’s chairman and ordered Bakari to resume his duties as acting chairman immediately.
Bakari, elated by the verdict and his commitment to return to office as the court had ordered, advised party members to be calm and refrain from any actions that could spark a crisis.
Barrister John Okezie, who represents him, also spoke, praising the judge for “putting the right peg in the right hike.
The former chairman said he needed to consult with his legal team before deciding what to do next.
The state government formed a commission to settle the party’s leadership dispute, and this ruling comes just days later.