…In a unanimous ruling, a three-member panel of the appeal court held that the statutory conditions required before the convention could take place were not fulfilled.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday upheld a judgment that barred the Peoples Democratic Party from proceeding with the national convention it held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2026.
The convention had produced a factional leadership for the party, with Senior Advocate of Nigeria Taminu Turaki emerging as National Chairman.
In a unanimous ruling, a three-member panel of the appeal court held that the statutory conditions required before the convention could take place were not fulfilled.
The court affirmed that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja acted correctly in his October 31, 2025 judgment which halted the planned convention.
It rejected the argument by the Turaki-led faction that the court lacked jurisdiction to interfere in the party’s internal affairs.
According to the appellate court, the trial court properly assumed jurisdiction because the case sought to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the amended 1999 Constitution, and guidelines regulating political parties.
The panel held that the substantive suit that prompted the high court’s intervention had merit.
Consequently, the panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma dismissed the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1613/2025 filed by the Turaki-led faction of the PDP.
The Federal High Court had earlier ruled that evidence before it showed the PDP failed to comply with relevant statutory provisions and guidelines before conducting the convention.
The court upheld a suit filed by three aggrieved party members, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South) who are aligned with a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In its findings, the court faulted the PDP for failing to conduct valid state congresses in 14 states before fixing the national convention.
It ruled that the convention could not validly hold when congresses required to produce delegates for the election of national officers had not been conducted in those states.
The court also noted that the notice for the convention was signed only by the party’s National Chairman, without the National Secretary.
Justice Omotosho held that such notices and correspondences were null and void in the eyes of the law, adding that the PDP’s failure to follow laid-down procedures placed the convention in jeopardy.
He subsequently directed the party to put its processes in order and to issue the statutory 21-day notice of meetings and congresses to INEC to enable the electoral body monitor the process.
Those listed as defendants in the suit included INEC, the PDP, its National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, party officials Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi, as well as the PDP’s National Working Committee and National Executive Committee.
The plaintiffs argued that the amended 1999 Constitution makes it mandatory for INEC to monitor the congresses of political parties for them to be valid.
They also told the court that no valid notice was served on INEC ahead of the planned convention.
The court agreed with the plaintiffs and dismissed preliminary objections filed by the defendants, who had argued that the matter concerned the party’s internal affairs.
It subsequently restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the convention scheduled for Ibadan until the PDP complied with relevant laws and regulations.
The court further ruled that the electoral body was not obliged to recognise the outcome of any convention conducted without strict compliance with the amended 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and its guidelines.
It stressed that the party could not hold a national convention until it established a proper framework for the election of delegates who would participate in the exercise.
However, shortly after the initial judgment, the party obtained a conflicting court order allowing it to proceed with the convention.
The Turaki-led faction later filed the appeal, which the Court of Appeal dismissed on Monday, awarding a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
