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, told Daily Trust 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 authorized 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 recognize it, if they can. In any case, they can always appeal the judgment, but we are moving ahead.”

Justice Lifu’s order

On Tuesday, Justice Lifu stopped the planned convention in Ibadan, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to refrain from supervising, monitoring, or recognizing 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 Organizing Committee (NCOC), and INEC as respondents.

PDP may opt for interim management committee – NEC member

A member of the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC), Timothy Osadolor, told Daily Trust 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.”

Osadolor said if the situation persists, the party could drift into uncertainty.

“It’s not too late, but as the clock ticks, it’s moving us closer to a situation where we may not be able to hold the convention within the stipulated timeframe. That could force us to set up an interim management committee to run the party.

“That’s not our wish. Our desire is for all stakeholders to sit together and chart the way forward in the collective interest of the party, not in the interest of one person or a small clique.”

Osadolor also criticized the judiciary, accusing some judges of issuing “judgments for pay.”

“Our judiciary must stand up and be counted. This era of anyone being able to purchase or hire judgments must stop, especially in the state judiciaries,” he said.

“The National Judicial Council must sit up and act. There was a time when we had very erudite judges on the bench and at the bar, and such things were unheard of. We must save the judiciary before we can save our democracy.”

He added that while the situation was dire, all hope was not lost for the PDP.

“It’s not yet dark for the PDP; there’s still light. But these governors, especially the one who seems bent on hosting an early Christmas party in Ibadan, must come down from their high horses and reason with other stakeholders. Time is running out, but it’s not impossible to resolve this crisis.

“If reasoning does not prevail in the next one week, PDP should start retooling for 2031,” he warned.

Proponents of one-party state working against PDP convention — Olafeso

Also reacting, a former National Vice Chairman of the party, Eddy Olafeso, accused those opposing the PDP’s national convention of working to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.

Olafeso made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, describing the court’s decision as “the climax of judicial rascality.”

“The restraining order from the Federal High Court today against our scheduled convention did not come as a shock to us,” he said. “A group is determined to destroy the party completely, but we will not allow it. Good will prevail over evil.”

Olafeso insisted that the PDP would not be deterred by the ruling, expressing optimism that the convention would still hold.

“We will not allow this. I’m energized, like many of our colleagues, that this shall not stand. The truth and justice must prevail,” he said.

He also alleged that those working against the PDP had ulterior motives aimed at weakening the opposition, and criticized some former members for betraying the party after benefiting from it.

“They have their agenda. It is not for the people; it is to entrench a one-party state, and that cannot augur well for our country,” he stated.

“Many of them were unknown until they became governors. What baffles us is the level of their rebellion against the same party that brought them from obscurity to the limelight. Yet some of them now openly support another party ahead of the 2027 election,” Olafeso added.

Committee inspects convention facilities

Meanwhile, members of the National Convention Organizing 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 finalize logistics ahead of Saturday’s convention. (Daily Trust)