The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to proceed with preparations for its elective national convention slated for November 15 and 16, despite a fresh Federal High Court order restraining it from doing so.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said that the latest court ruling stopping the convention was “a waste of time,” insisting that the party was guided by a subsisting Supreme Court judgment affirming that political parties have exclusive authority over their internal affairs.
Abdullahi’s comments came after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday barred the PDP from holding the convention. The order directly contradicts a ruling by the Oyo State High Court, which cleared the party to proceed with the exercise, a development some legal analysts have described as an abuse of court process.
Reacting yesterday, Abdullahi said the party could no longer be swayed by “procured judgments,” adding that the PDP was formed by Nigerians, not by the courts.
“The judgment is a waste of time. We have gone too far to be asked to stop,” he said. “We are not a political party founded by a court of law but by Nigerians, and we are expected to listen to Nigerians, not to procured judgments.
“There’s no way they will stop us. We have a subsisting Supreme Court judgment that says the internal affairs of parties are within their exclusive rights, and we’re adhering to that. Even if anyone chooses to ignore the Oyo State High Court order that authorised us to go ahead, they cannot ignore the Supreme Court’s decision. We cannot be playing to the gallery of conflicting court decisions. We’ve gone too far; there’s no stopping us.
“Let them wait. When we finish, let them try not to recognise it, if they can. In any case, they can always appeal the judgment, but we are moving ahead.”
On Tuesday, Justice Lifu stopped the planned convention in Ibadan, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to refrain from supervising, monitoring, or recognising the outcome of the exercise where national officers are to be elected.
The order came during the hearing of a suit filed by a national chairmanship aspirant and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, who sought an interim injunction restraining the PDP from conducting the convention pending the hearing of his substantive motion.
Lamido alleged that he had been denied the opportunity to purchase the chairmanship nomination form, arguing that the process violated his rights and the party’s constitution.
Justice Lifu said the order became necessary due to the PDP’s failure to comply with the conditions required for holding such conventions, including the failure to publish the necessary notices for members and the mandatory 21-day notice before the convention.
The judge ruled that the balance of convenience favoured Lamido, as he would suffer greater losses if excluded from the process. He cautioned that the rule of law must be strictly followed to safeguard democracy, noting that the court had a duty under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution to intervene where necessary.
Justice Lifu’s ruling comes weeks after another judge, Justice James Omotosho, on October 31, barred the PDP from holding the convention over alleged irregularities in the conduct of state congresses in about 14 states, which INEC said violated electoral guidelines.
However, on November 4, Justice O. A. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court issued a contrary order approving the convention, pending the determination of a suit filed by a PDP member in Oyo State, Folahan Malomo Adelabi.
Adelabi’s suit listed the PDP, Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum on behalf of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, Governor Umaru Fintiri on behalf of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), and INEC as respondents.
A member of the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC), Timothy Osadolor, said that the party might be forced to constitute an interim management committee if “reason does not prevail,” especially among the governors.
“The truth is that those who are recalcitrant to common sense and reasoning should learn to play by the rules and adhere to the constitution of the land,” he said.
“A court of repute, the Federal High Court, ordered a status quo, but the Oyo State governor went shopping for a quick-fix judgment within the state judiciary, thinking it would act as an appeal court to the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“At the end of the day, another Federal High Court, with competent jurisdiction, has again today (Tuesday) given an ex parte order that the convention must not hold, citing breaches in the internal processes of the PDP, the same grounds on which Justice Omotosho based his earlier ruling.”
Meanwhile, members of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) were in Ibadan on Tuesday to inspect the venue for the convention.
The Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Bayo Lawal, who chairs the Venue Subcommittee of the 2025 PDP National Convention, led the inspection at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
The committee also held a meeting with stadium managers and contractors to finalise logistics ahead of Saturday’s convention.