The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday stopped the Peoples Democratic Party from proceeding with its planned national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16 pending further notice.
Delivering judgment in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, Justice James Omotosho ordered that the convention be halted until the party complies with the statutory requirements of its own constitution, the Nigerian Constitution, and the Electoral Act.
The suit was instituted by three aggrieved members of the party — Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The plaintiffs asked the court to stop the PDP’s scheduled national convention in Ibadan, where new national officers were expected to be elected, stating that the planned convention violated provisions of the Electoral Act and the PDP’s internal rules.
The nine defendants in the case are: the Independent National Electoral Commission, the PDP, Samuel Anyanwu (National Secretary of the PDP), Umar Bature (National Organising Secretary), the National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa, and Emmanuel Ogidi.
Justice Omotosho, in the judgment delivered, held that the evidence before the court established that the party failed to comply with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the INEC guidelines, and the PDP’s own constitution.
The court found that the PDP did not conduct valid state congresses before proceeding to organise the planned national convention to elect its national officers.
Consequently, Justice Omotosho directed the PDP “to go back and put its house in order, and to give the statutory 21-day notice to INEC before it can proceed with the proposed convention.”
The judge also restrained INEC from accepting or recognising the outcome of any PDP national convention that is not conducted in accordance with due process, the law, and INEC’s own regulations.
According to the court, INEC is not entitled to give effect to the outcome of any political party convention that fails to comply with the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and relevant party guidelines.
The court also dismissed preliminary objections filed by the defendants challenging its jurisdiction on the grounds that the matter was an internal affair of the party.
