Convention: PDP knows fate October 31

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has fixed October 31 for judgment in a suit seeking to stop the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for November 15 and 16.

Justice James Omotosho fixed the date yesterday after taking arguments for and against the suit filed by three aggrieved members of the party.

Those who instituted the case are Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).

They instituted the suit seeking to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 national convention of the PDP scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State, where new national officers are expected to be elected on the ground of breach of the party’s constitution.

The nine defendants are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu (National Secretary of the party), Umar Baturrle (National Organizing Secretary of the party), NWC and NEC of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.

At yesterday’s proceedings, Justice Omotosho still reaffirmed that his order on maintaining status quo in respect of the convention must not be flouted by any of the parties involved in the suit.

The judge maintained that he would not hesitate to nullify any step taken by any of the parties during the pendency of the case.

During the proceedings, Joseph Daudu, who represented the three aggrieved members, urged the court not to treat the complaints of the plaintiffs as internal affairs of the party but a step to enforce adherence to the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and the PDP Constitution.

The senior lawyer argued that Nigeria’s Constitution makes it mandatory for the INEC to monitor congress of political parties before they can be valid.

He said the complaints of the three aggrieved members was that no valid congresses were conducted in the 14 states before the PDP NWC and NEC issued notice for the November 16 and 17 Convention.

However, the acting National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Damagum represented by Paul Erokoro, asked the judge to decline jurisdiction on the ground that issues of convention and congresses are internal affairs of the party.

His position was aligned with that of Eyitayo Jegede, who stood for the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) to the effect that courts cannot inquire into the internal affairs of the party.