Abuja High Court has stopped PDP National Convention in Ibadan again.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja has once again restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supervising, monitoring, or recognising any outcome from the proposed convention, where new national officers were expected to be elected.
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Justice Peter Lifu issued the restraining order on Tuesday while ruling on an application filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who claimed he was unlawfully denied the opportunity to purchase the nomination form for the national chairmanship position.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu said the PDP failed to comply with the legal requirements governing the conduct of such conventions, noting that the party did not publish a timetable for the exercise as required by law.
He stated that the balance of convenience favoured Lamido, as excluding him from the process would cause greater harm.
“In a constitutional democracy, due process of law must be strictly observed by those in authority. To act otherwise is to endanger the very foundation of democracy itself,” the judge said.
He added that under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution, courts must not shirk their responsibility to deliver justice without fear or favour, warning that failure of the judiciary to act could lead to anarchy.
Consequently, the court restrained the PDP from conducting the convention on the scheduled dates or at any other time, in Ibadan or elsewhere. INEC was also ordered not to monitor or recognise any outcome from such a gathering.
This is not the first time the court has halted the PDP’s planned convention. In October 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja also stopped the party from proceeding until it complied with constitutional and statutory requirements.
That earlier suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was filed by three aggrieved party officials — Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South) — who argued that the planned convention violated the Electoral Act and the PDP Constitution.
However, on November 4, the Oyo State High Court granted the PDP an interim approval to continue preparations for the convention following an ex-parte motion filed by Folahan Adelabi against the party, its Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, and others.
Justice Akintola of the Oyo High Court later adjourned a related hearing to allow all parties to file necessary processes before the substantive trial begins.
With Justice Lifu’s new order, uncertainty now surrounds the PDP’s national convention and the election of its new leadership.
