A High Court sitting in Oyo State has ordered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, to proceed with the party’s national convention scheduled for November 15 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The ruling, delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola on Monday, came after hearing an ex parte motion filed by Folahan Malomo Adelabi. The decision effectively clears the path for the long-awaited convention amid growing internal disputes that have rocked Nigeria’s main opposition party in recent months.
The PDP has been embroiled in intense leadership battles and factional disputes, with several stakeholders demanding a full convention to elect new national officers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The latest twist follows reports that a faction of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) recently announced the suspension of Ambassador Damagum along with five other top officials. The move highlighted deepening divisions within the party, widely linked to a power struggle involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and other influential PDP leaders.
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Addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who spoke on behalf of the factional NWC, declared the National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, as the new Acting National Chairman.
He maintained that those claiming to suspend key officers lacked the authority to do so, stressing that the party must adhere to its constitution and due process. “Unfortunately, some people may say that the National Secretary, the National Organising Secretary who has the responsibility of monitoring everything, and the National Legal Adviser, who is responsible for all legal issues, were purportedly suspended,” Anyanwu said.
The court’s directive is expected to either stabilize or further test the fragile unity within the PDP as it prepares for what could be a decisive national convention in Ibadan. Political observers say the outcome may determine the future of the opposition ahead of the next general election.
