Oyo High Court Clears PDP to Hold National Convention Amidst Conflicting Orders
The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has granted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leave to proceed with its elective National Convention scheduled for 15–16 November 2025.
In a ruling delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola, the court issued an interim order permitting the convention to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, and further directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend, monitor, and observe the exercise pending the determination of the substantive motion on notice.
The order arose from an ex parte application filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Governor Umaru Fintiri (sued in his capacity as Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee); and INEC. The claimant sought to restrain the defendants from truncating or frustrating the timetable and guidelines leading to the convention.
Justice Akintola, after considering the application, held that the claimant had demonstrated sufficient grounds for urgent judicial intervention. In his words: “The court finds merit in the claimant’s motion ex parte. The same succeeds and is hereby ordered as prayed.”
Accordingly, the court restrained any interference with the PDP’s timetable and compelled the defendants to proceed with the convention as scheduled. The matter was adjourned to 10 November 2025 for hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction. The order, dated 3 November 2025, was issued under the seal of the Oyo State High Court and signed by the Principal Registrar, S. O. Hammed.
This ruling stands in contrast to an earlier decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by Justice James Omotosho on 31 October 2025, which halted the PDP’s planned convention until the party complied with its constitution, the Electoral Act, and INEC regulations. Justice Omotosho also restrained INEC from accepting any report of the convention conducted outside due process.
The PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, swiftly rejected the Abuja court’s decision, describing it as an assault on democratic processes and confirming that its legal team had been instructed to appeal.
Meanwhile, the party’s internal leadership crisis deepened. On 3 November 2025, Abdulrahman Mohammed, former Vice Chairman (North Central), resumed at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja as Acting National Chairman, backed by the Samuel Anyanwu‑led National Working Committee (NWC). His emergence followed the suspension of Umar Damagum and Debo Ologunagba by that faction.
Conversely, Damagum and his loyalists within the NWC had earlier announced the suspension of Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, and other principal officers. In retaliation, the Anyanwu faction suspended Damagum, Ologunagba, and four others, further entrenching the division within the party.
The unfolding events underscore the jurisdictional tension between courts of coordinate jurisdiction and the escalating factional disputes within the PDP, both of which will shape the party’s ability to conduct its national convention and elect new officers.
