Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled October 31 for judgment in a lawsuit seeking to stop the planned 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The suit challenges the convention based on allegations that the party violated its own rules.
Justice Omotosho fixed the date on Tuesday after receiving arguments from and against the suit, which was filed by three aggrieved members of the party.
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During the proceedings, the judge reaffirmed his earlier order for all parties to “maintain the status quo” concerning the convention, issuing a strict warning that the order “must not be flouted.”
He cautioned that he would not hesitate to nullify any step taken by any of the parties” while the matter is still pending before the court.
Joseph Daudu (SAN), counsel for the three plaintiffs, argued that their grievances should not be treated as mere “internal affairs of the party,” but rather as an effort to ensure adherence to the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the PDP Constitution.
The senior lawyer asserted that the Nigerian Constitution requires the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor party congresses for them to be valid.
The plaintiffs’ core complaint is that the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) issued notice for the November 15 and 16 convention despite “no valid congresses were conducted in 14 states.”
In opposition, the acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, represented by Paul Erokoro (SAN), urged the court to decline jurisdiction, arguing that issues concerning conventions and congresses are strictly internal matters of the party.
This position was supported by Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), representing the PDP’s NWC and NEC.
The plaintiffs, who include Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman), and Turnah George (PDP Secretary, South-South), filed the suit to block the upcoming convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, where new national officers are slated to be elected. They allege that the planned convention “breaches the party’s constitution.”
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