November 02, (THEWILL) — Within hours, two Abuja High Courts hearing different suits against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, made seemingly contradictory rulings. One of the cases involved a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, who sought an order to restrain the PDP from going ahead with its planned national convention for Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on November 15 and 16, 2025. Lamido claims the party refused to avail him with the nomination form for the position of National Chairmanship.
The other case was a suit filed by Austine Nwachukwu, the Imo State chairman of the PDP; Amah Abraham Nnanna, the Abia State chairman; and Turnah George, the South-South factional secretary of the party. The plaintiffs, who are political allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, urged the court to halt the exercise.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, who heard Lamido’s case declined to grant the application. Lamido, through his counsel, Jeph Njikonye, had filed a motion ex parte, praying the court to issue an interim order to the party from going ahead with the convention, until the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed alongside the suit.
Justice Lifu refused to grant the request. He rather directed the party to order the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, listed as the first and second defendants, respectively, to appear before the court to show cause why the reliefs sought by Lamido should not be granted. In the ex parte motion, Lamido, through his legal team led by Njikonye, sought two orders:
“An interim order of the honourable court restraining the first defendant from conducting its national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State (or any other location) on November 15 and 16,2025, or on any other date the first defendant may choose, pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiff/applicant’s motion on notice before this honourable court.
“An interim order restraining the second defendant from monitoring, supervising or recognising the first defendant’s national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State (or any other location) on November 15 and 16, 2025, or on any other date the first defendant may choose, pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiff/applicant’s motion on notice.”
Lamido’s counsel argued that once an action is pending in court, parties are bound to maintain the status quo to prevent rendering the court’s eventual decision nugatory. They contended that the court has inherent jurisdiction to preserve the subject matter of litigation, adding that if the PDP is not restrained, it would be violating its constitution and by implication, their client the opportunity to contest for the position of national chairman, a position he said he was qualified to seek.
“The plaintiff/applicant has established a prima facie legal interest in the subject matter of litigation entitling him to the grant of the interim preservative relief sought,” he stated. He further argued that once the act sought to be restrained is completed, the equitable remedy of an interim injunction may no longer be available, hence the need for the court’s intervention at this stage. According to him, the suit raises serious triable issues, and the balance of convenience tilts in favour of granting the interim preservative reliefs sought. When the matter was heard in the judge’s chambers after Njikonye moved the motion, Justice Lifu said it would be necessary to hear from the defendants before making any orders.
Justice Lifu gave the defendants 72 hours from the date of service to respond and adjourned the matter until November 6, for hearing. Few hours later, a Federal High Court in Abuja stopped the PDP’s planned national convention. Justice James Omotosho issued the order. Contending that the PDP failed to comply with its own constitution, the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act during preparation for the convention, they argued that “no congress was conducted in 14 states”.
While the PDP maintained that the case falls strictly within its internal affairs and therefore, lies outside the court’s jurisdiction, the party accused the claimants of attempting to disrupt a legitimate leadership transition process. However, ruling on Thursday, Justice Omotosho declared that the planned national convention violated the Nigerian constitution, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as the PDP constitution since the party failed to conduct valid state congresses before it moved to hold the convention.
The court also ordered the party to send the statutory 21-day notice for the convention before proceeding with the proposed convention. Defendants sued in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the PDP; and the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu. Others are the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; the National Working Committee (NWC); the National Executive Committee (NEC); the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; and two members of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi. Reacting swiftly, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, maintained that the court order would not stop its planned national convention. Ologunagba said that the party was appalled by the judgment delivered by the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, in a suit challenging the legality of the party’s processes leading to its planned Nov. 15 convention in Ibadan.
“PDP states that the judgment of the court does not vitiate its ability to proceed with the processes and activities towards the national convention to elect new national officers to pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years. “Our party notes the recent judgment of the Supreme Court which affirms the supremacy of a political party in the management of its internal affairs,” he said.
Ologunagba urged party members, chapter and organs to remain steadfast and focused on preparations towards the holding of the national convention as scheduled. “PDP, as the leading opposition party in Nigeria committed to the rule of law has, accordingly, directed its lawyers to take immediate action to appeal this judgment in our unwavering determination to uphold, defend and promote multi-party democracy in our country,” he said.
Justice Omotosho had, in his ruling, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting the report on the outcome of any national convention of PDP without following due process of the law as well as its guidelines and regulations. In his reaction, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alongside former Benue governor, Samuel Ortom and his Enugu counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, accused some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, the leadership of the party and Governors’ Forum of sidelining due process and undermining internal democracy.
“The laws are there to follow,” Wike told stakeholders. “If you don’t follow the law, there’s nothing we can do. We will allow justice to prevail.” He commended party members who, according to him, had “stood firm” in the face of intimidation and thanked them for their “steadfastness and courage.”
Rising from a meeting on Saturday, the NWC of the party announced the suspension of key officials, namely: Anyanwu, National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature for anti-party activities for 30 days.
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