•Delay is not denial: PDP leaders see hope in court’s decision

•Why PDP can not go ahead with its national convention —— Court

ABUJA—Shocked by yesterday’s court ruling stopping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from going ahead with its national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo state on November 15 and 16,The party described the court decision as an assault on Nigeria’s democratic process and vowed to appeal the decision.

The party, in a statement issued last night by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, charged its members to go ahead with the preparations towards holding the convention.

We’re appalled by the court order —PDP

The statement, titled ,”PDP Planned National Convention Not Vitiated by Court”, read:“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is appalled by the judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja, presided over by Honorable Justice Kolawole Omotosho today, (yesterday) describing it as an assault on Nigeria’s democratic process.

“Our Party notes the recent judgement of the Supreme Court which affirms the supremacy of a political party in the management of its internal affairs. The PDP therefore charges its members, Chapter and Organs to remain steadfast and focused on preparations towards the holding of the National Convention of our Party. Nevertheless, the 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”.

However, the 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.

It’s handiwork of saboteurs —Damagum

National Chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, while reacting to the court decision in an interview on national television, said it was the handiwork of saboteurs.

In a similar reaction, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, described Friday’s judgement of Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court, Abuja, as “the joke of the century, open recipe for anarchy and a display of judicial brigandage”.

Why PDP can’t hold its convention —— Court

The Federal High Court, in the judgement held that the party failed to fulfil the statutory condition precedents that would enable it to organize the convention.

While upholding the case that was brought before it by three aggrieved members of the party, Justice Omotosho, in his verdict that lasted over four hours, faulted the PDP for its failure to conduct valid state congresses before it slated dates to hold a convention to elect its national officers.

According to the court, evidence before it established that the party failed to comply with relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as well as its own regulations.

The plaintiffs- Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South, had in the suit marked

FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, alleged that valid congresses were not conducted in 14 states of the federation before the convention was fixed.

Cited as defendants in the matter were; INEC; PDP; its National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum; the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; the National Organizing Secretary, Umar Bature; two national officers of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi, as well as the NWC and NEC of the party.

The court held that it was impossible for the convention to hold when congresses to produce delegates that would vote for the national officers, had not been held in the various states. Besides, it noted that notices for the national convention were signed by only the National Chairman of the party, excluding the National Secretary.

Justice Omotosho held that such notices and correspondences amounted to a nullity in the eyes of the law, adding that failure of the PDP to comply with the laid down procedures, placed the scheduled convention in jeopardy. Consequently, he directed the party to go back and put its house in order, and to equally send the statutory 21-day notice of meetings and congresses to INEC to enable it to monitor the procceses.

The plaintiffs had contended that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, made it mandatory for INEC to monitor congress of every political party before it could be deemed to have been validly conducted.

They told the court that no valid notice was served on INEC for the purpose of the planned convention.

The court, while agreeing with them, dismissed preliminary objections the defendants filed to challenge its jurisdiction to meddle in what they insisted was an internal affair of a political party. The court proceeded to restrain INEC from receiving, publishing or recognizing the outcome of the convention slated for Ibadan, pending when the relevant laws and regulations were complied with by the PDP.

It held that the electoral body was not obligated to give effect to the outcome of the convention a political party conducted without strict adherence to the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2022, and its own guidelines.

The court stressed that the party was not entitled to hold a national convention until it provided a proper framework for the election of delegates that would participate in the exercise.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the court, in a separate ruling that was delivered on Friday by Justice Peter Lifu, rejected an ex-parte application a former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, filed for an interim injunction to restrain the PDP from going ahead with the national convention.

Lamido prayed the court to issue the interim order pending the hearing and determination of a suit he lodged before it.

The erstwhile governor approached the court after he was denied a nomination form to contest for the position of National Chairman of the party. In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025, he prayed the court to halt the convention and prevent INEC from supervising it. He cited the PDP and INEC as 1st and 2nd defendants, respectively.

In his ruling, Justice Lifu, who declined to grant the interim relief, ordered the former governor to put the defendants on notice to enable them to appear before the court to show cause why his prayers should not be granted. He subsequently adjourned the matter to November 6 for hearing.