In a major setback for Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from holding its much-publicized national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Key Highlights:
Justice James Omotosho halts PDP’s Ibadan convention.
Court rules that the party violated constitutional and INEC guidelines.
PDP ordered to conduct valid state congresses before rescheduling.
National leaders, including Umar Damagum and Bala Mohammed, attend tense court session.
Separate suit by ex-Governor Sule Lamido to stop convention also dismissed.
Justice Omotosho delivered the judgment in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, siding with three aggrieved PDP officials who accused the party of ignoring electoral procedures and its own constitution.
The plaintiffs – Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP South-South Zonal Secretary), contended that the PDP failed to conduct valid state congresses and neglected to issue the statutory 21-day notice before announcing the national convention.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that the PDP’s planned convention lacked legitimacy, having breached the 1999 Constitution, INEC regulations, and the party’s internal guidelines. He ordered the PDP to “go back and put its house in order” before any fresh convention could take place.
The judgment, which sent shockwaves through the opposition camp, was delivered in the presence of top party leaders, including National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, who chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum. The convention was expected to produce new national officers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The court also dismissed preliminary objections from the defense claiming the matter was an “internal affair,” insisting that political parties must operate within the law.
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In a related development, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido suffered a legal defeat after Justice Peter Lifu dismissed his separate motion seeking to stop the same convention. Lamido had alleged that his nomination forms for the chairmanship position were deliberately withheld, effectively excluding him from the race.
The court, however, ordered PDP and INEC to show cause within 72 hours why broader restraining orders should not be granted, with hearing adjourned to November 6.
The latest rulings deepen the cracks within the PDP as factions battle for control of the National Working Committee. With the convention halted, the party’s already fragile unity faces new pressure just two years before the 2027 elections.
Analysts say the court’s decision could either compel genuine reform within the PDP or trigger a wave of defections ahead of the next polls. For now, the party’s Ibadan convention dream is in limbo and its survival depends on how quickly it can restore internal order.
