Follow Us on Google
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from going ahead with its planned national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16.
Justice James Omotosho in his The judgment upheld a case that was brought before it by three aggrieved members of the party.
The judge held that from the evidence presented before it established that the party failed to comply with provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as well as its own Constitution.
Justice Omotosho stressed that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses before it moved to hold the convention to elect its national officers.
He predicated the decision on the grounds that the PDP failed to comply with relevant conditions and laws for the conduct of such conventions.
Justice Omotosho held that the signing of notices and correspondence of the PDP by its National Chairman without the National Secretary, violated the law and consequently made such notices and correspondences a nullity.
Besides, Omotosho held that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21 days notice of meetings and congresses to enable INEC carry out its mandatory duty of monitoring such meetings and congresses.
He held that the failure of the PDP to comply with the law has put the planned convention in jeopardy, and subsequently advised the PDP to do the necessary before going ahead with the election.
Other News
Consequently, the court restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognizing the outcome of the convention slated for Ibadan, until the law has been complied with.
Before delivering the substantive judgment, the court dismissed preliminary objections the defendants filed yo challenge its jurisdiction to meddle in what they insisted was an internal affair of a political party.
Three members of the party, Austin Nwachukwu, Imo PDP chairman, Amah Nnanna, Abia PDP chairman, and Turnah George, South-South PDP Secretary, had instituted the suit seeking to stop the convention where new national officers are expected to be elected.
The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, urged the court to halt the planned convention.
Cited as defendants in the matter were: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); PDP; the National Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; the National Organising Secretary of the party, Umar Baturrle; two national officers of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi, as well as the NWC and NEC of the party.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, on Friday, led some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftains to the Federal High Court, Abuja, ahead of the judgment on the party’s planned national convention.
PDP Governors had in August cautioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, and others against derailing the national convention of the party scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15, 2025.
