A Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from proceeding with its planned national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, next month.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Friday while ruling on a suit seeking to determine whether the party could legally go ahead with the convention billed for November 15 and 16.
The suit was filed by three PDP officials — Austine Nwachukwu (Imo State chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia State chairman), and Turnah George (South-South secretary).
Listed as defendants are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, the National Working Committee (NWC), and the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The plaintiffs — believed to be allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike — urged the court to halt the convention, arguing that the party failed to comply with its constitution, the 1999 Constitution, and the Electoral Act in the lead-up to the event.
Their counsel told the court that “no congress was conducted in 14 states,” insisting that the matter involves constitutional breaches and cannot be dismissed as an internal party dispute.
However, the PDP maintained that the case falls within its internal affairs and is therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction, accusing the claimants of attempting to destabilise its leadership transition process.
The controversy surrounding the convention deepened after the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, alleged that his signature was forged on documents sent to INEC notifying it of the event — a claim dismissed as baseless by the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT).
Meanwhile, the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) had earlier postponed indefinitely the screening of aspirants scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, reportedly to await the court’s decision before proceeding with preparations.
Details later…
