Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice James Omotosho has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from moving on with its planned national convention slated to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16.
Justice Omotosho in his judgment upheld a case that was brought before it by three aggrieved members of the party.
The judge held that evidence presented before the court 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.
Omotosho maintained that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses before it moved to hold the convention to elect its national officers.
Based on that, the court directed the PDP to go back and put its house in order, and equally send the statutory 21-day notice before it could proceed with the proposed convention.
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.
Recall that 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.