The fate of the November 15 to 16, 2025, national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled to take place in Ibadan, Oyo State, now hangs in the balance as two Federal High Courts in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, gave conflicting orders on Friday hours apart.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that while Justice Peter Lifu of an FCT Federal High Court refused to grant an application filed by former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, seeking an order restraining the PDP from proceeding with its scheduled national convention, another by Justice James Omotosho which came few hours later, stopped the convention.
Justice Lefu had earlier in his ruling on the motion ex-parte moved by Lamido’s lawyer, Jeph Njikonye, senior advocate of Nigeria, (SAN) praying the court to stop the convention pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed alongside, ordered the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants in the suit, to appear in court to show cause why the former governor’s reliefs should not be granted.
Lamido had sought two orders: “An interim order of the honourable court restraining the 1st defendant from conducting its national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State (or any other place or state) Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 or any other date(s).
“An interim order of court restraining the 2nd defendant (INEC) from monitoring, supervising and recognising the 1st defendant’s national convention”.
But instead, Justice Lifu gave the defendants in the suit – the PDP and INEC – 72 hours from the date they were served to respond to show cause why the ex-governor’s reliefs should not be granted. He thereafter adjourned the matter to November 6.
Justice Omotosho was however to give a counter ruling restraining INEC from recognising the outcome of the forthcoming PDP’s national convention.
In his judgment, he ruled that the PDP failed to comply with relevant conditions and laws for the conduct of the convention.
Challenging the legality of the convention, Omotosho held that evidence from INEC and some of the respondents showed that congresses were not held in some states of the federation in breach of the law.
He also held that the signing of notices and correspondence of the PDP by its national chairman without the national secretary, violated the law and consequently made such notices and correspondences a nullity, adding that the embattled PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21 days notice of meetings and congresses to enable INEC carry out its mandatory duty of monitoring such meetings and congresses.
Justice Omotosho insisted that the failure of the PDP to comply with the law had put the planned convention in jeopardy and subsequently advised the PDP to do the needful before going ahead with the election.
Consequently, the judge restrained INEC from monitoring, receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the convention slated for Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, until the law had been complied with.
