Breaking: Court of Appeal affirms ruling against PDP 2025 convention

The Court of Appeal (Nigeria) sitting in Abuja on Monday affirmed the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria which restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The three-man appellate panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma upheld the decision delivered on October 31, 2025, which barred the electoral body from accepting or publishing the results of the party’s convention held between November 15 and 16, 2025 in Ibadan.

Delivering the lead judgment in an appeal challenging the lower court’s decision, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam ruled that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional and statutory provisions required for the conduct of a valid national convention.

According to the court, the party did not issue a valid notice of the convention to INEC as required by law. The court further held that valid congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states of the federation prior to the convention, contrary to legal requirements.

Justice Onyemenam clarified that the suit filed by aggrieved PDP members was not strictly an internal party dispute but rather an effort to compel INEC to perform its statutory duties in relation to monitoring party conventions.

The appellate court therefore held that the Federal High Court was correct to assume jurisdiction over the matter and grant an order restraining INEC from recognising the outcome of the convention.

“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and the party’s constitution and guidelines strikes at the heart of democratic governance, and such compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the court held.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had earlier issued the restraining order after finding that the PDP failed to comply with mandatory legal conditions for organising the convention.

The trial judge held that evidence presented by INEC and some aggrieved party members showed that congresses were not conducted in several states, thereby breaching the law.

Justice Omotosho also ruled that notices and official correspondence issued by the party were invalid because they were signed solely by the National Chairman without the endorsement of the National Secretary, contrary to legal requirements.

Additionally, the court found that the PDP failed to provide the mandatory 21-day notice of meetings and congresses to INEC, which would have enabled the electoral commission to monitor the processes as required by law.

READ ALSO: Tension mounts in PDP as Appeal Court set to deliver verdict on party leadership crisis

Consequently, the court restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the convention until the party complied with the relevant legal provisions.

The suit was filed by three aggrieved PDP members — Austin Nwachukwu, the party’s chairman in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, the party chairman in Abia State; and Turnah George, the PDP Secretary in the South-South zone.

The plaintiffs instituted the case through Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Daudu, under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025. They had asked the court to halt the planned convention in Ibadan where new national officers were expected to emerge.

The defendants in the suit included INEC, the PDP, the party’s National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.

In a separate but related judgment, the appellate court also upheld the suspension of several high-ranking PDP national officers, including National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN.

The court validated the disciplinary action taken by the party’s National Working Committee, emphasising the supremacy of the PDP constitution in internal administrative matters.

It ruled that the NWC had the authority to suspend party officers found to have violated party discipline and constitutional provisions.

All requests seeking to nullify the suspension and reinstate the affected officers were dismissed by the court for lacking merit.

The suspensions followed allegations of anti-party activities and conduct considered inconsistent with the provisions of the PDP constitution.