APPEAL COURT AFFIRMS JUDGEMENT STOPPING INEC RECOGNIZING PDP CONVENTION IN IBADAN

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The court of appeal in Abuja has agreed with a decision from a federal high court in Abuja, which stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from holding their national convention on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.

On Monday, a three-judge panel from the appellate court rejected the PDP’s appeal, which argued that the Abuja federal high court did not have the right to hear the case.

In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the appellate court said it was satisfied that the statutory condition precedents were not met before the convention was held.

It held that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja was right in the judgment he delivered on October 31, 2025, which stopped the planned convention.

It dismissed the contention of the Turaki-led faction of the PDP that the court lacked the jurisdiction to meddle in the domestic affairs of the party.

According to the appellate court, the trial court properly assumed jurisdiction in the matter since it sought to ensure compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as the Guidelines and Regulations for political parties.

It held that there was merit in the substantive suit that led to the intervention of the high court.

Consequently, the Justice Mohammed Danjuma-led panel of the Appeal Court dismissed the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1613/2025, which was filed by the Turaki-led faction of the PDP.

It will be recalled that the high court had, in its judgement, held that evidence before it established that the PDP failed to comply with relevant statutory provisions and guidelines before it proceeded to conduct the convention.

The court upheld a suit that was lodged by three aggrieved members of the party, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South), who are aligned with a faction of the party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Specifically, the court faulted the PDP for its failure to conduct valid state congresses in 14 states of the federation before the convention was fixed.

The court held that it was impossible for the convention to be held when congresses to produce delegates that would vote for the national officers had not been held in the various states.

Besides, it noted that notices for the national convention were signed by only the National Chairman of the party, excluding the National Secretary.

Justice Omotosho held that such notices and correspondences amounted to a nullity in the eyes of the law, adding that the failure of the PDP to comply with the laid-down procedures placed the scheduled convention in jeopardy.

So, he told the party to go back and fix things up, and to send the required 21-day notice for their meetings and congress to INEC. This would allow INEC to watch over the process properly.

The people who were named in the case as defendants included INEC, the PDP, its National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, two other national party officials, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi, as well as the NWC and NEC of the party.

The people who started the case argued that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires INEC to check every political party‘s congress before it can be considered properly held.

They told the court that no proper notice was given to INEC about the planned convention.

The court agreed with this point, but refused to accept the defendants‘ arguments that it shouldn’t get involved because they said it was an internal matter of the party.

The court proceeded to restrain INEC from receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the convention slated for Ibadan, pending when the relevant laws and regulations were complied with by the PDP.

It held that the electoral body was not obligated to give effect to the outcome of the convention a political party conducted without strict adherence to the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2022, and its own guidelines.

The court stressed that the party was not entitled to hold a national convention until it provided a proper framework for the election of delegates that would participate in the exercise.

However, shortly after the judgment was delivered, the party secured a contradictory order that allowed it to proceed with the convention.

The Turaki-led faction subsequently lodged the appeal that was dismissed on Monday with a cost of N2 million.