The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Tuesday after a Federal High Court in Abuja once again blocked the party’s scheduled national convention, which was slated for November 15-16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the restraining order, also barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring or recognizing any outcome from the planned convention, which was intended to elect new national officers.
The ruling came in response to an application filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who alleged he was unjustly excluded from the national chairmanship race after being denied the opportunity to purchase the nomination form.
Justice Lifu based his decision on the party’s non-compliance with the legal requirements for holding such an exercise. He noted that evidence before the court clearly showed the PDP failed to publish the timetable for the exercise as required by law, thereby acting in breach of due process.
The judge stressed the fundamental role of adherence to the law in a democratic system. “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,” he stated.
Furthermore, Justice Lifu underscored the judiciary’s responsibility in maintaining order, adding that, under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution, courts must not abdicate their responsibility of delivering justice without fear or favour. He issued a stern warning, cautioning that anarchy could result anywhere the judiciary fails to perform its constitutional duties.
The court’s final ruling explicitly restrains the PDP from holding the convention on November 15 and 16, or on any other date, in Ibadan or elsewhere, and directs INEC not to monitor or recognize the outcome of any such gathering.
This marks the second time in recent weeks the Abuja division of the Federal High Court has halted the convention, following a similar order issued in October 2025 by Justice James Omotosho in a suit filed by three other aggrieved PDP members.
The latest injunction directly contradicts an earlier interim order issued by Justice A.L. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court on November 4, which had approved the PDP to proceed with its convention plans. That earlier order had since become the subject of a petition filed with the National Judicial Council (NJC) by the rival PDP factions.
