The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has authorised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to go ahead with its scheduled elective National Convention on November 15 and 16, 2025, despite ongoing internal disputes within the opposition party.
Delivering a ruling on Monday, Justice A. L. Akintola granted an interim order permitting the PDP to conduct its convention as planned in Ibadan.
The judge also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend and monitor the exercise pending the determination of the substantive motion before the court.
The order followed an ex parte application filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, Governor Umaru Fintiri (Chairman of the Convention Organising Committee), and INEC.
Adelabi had sought the court’s protection to prevent the party or any of its officials from suspending or disrupting the timetable and guidelines already set for the convention.
In granting the reliefs sought, Justice Akintola ruled that the applicant had established a compelling need for urgent judicial intervention.
“The court finds merit in the claimant’s motion ex parte. The same succeeds and is hereby ordered as prayed,”
he declared.
The interim order, issued under the seal of the Oyo State High Court and signed by Principal Registrar S. O. Hammed, effectively restrains any act capable of obstructing the PDP’s preparations for the convention.
The case has been adjourned to November 10, 2025, for hearing of the motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction.
Friday’s ruling contrasts sharply with an earlier judgment from the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice James Omotosho had halted the PDP’s convention, citing the party’s alleged failure to comply with constitutional and electoral provisions.
The Abuja court also barred INEC from recognising or accepting the results of any convention held without meeting statutory requirements.
However, the PDP swiftly rejected that judgment. In a statement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, described the decision as “a direct assault on Nigeria’s democracy,” insisting that it would not derail the ongoing preparations for the national convention.
He confirmed that the party’s legal team had been directed to appeal the ruling.
Amid the legal battles, the party’s leadership crisis took a fresh turn on Monday as Abdulrahman Mohammed, former PDP Vice Chairman (North Central), assumed office as the party’s acting national chairman.
Mohammed, reportedly backed by the Samuel Anyanwu-led National Working Committee (NWC), arrived at the PDP’s national headquarters in Abuja under heavy security, accompanied by a crowd of supporters.
Addressing the gathering, he announced his formal takeover following the suspension of Umar Damagum and Debo Ologunagba.
The move came after a turbulent weekend marked by a flurry of suspensions within the PDP hierarchy. Damagum’s camp had earlier announced the suspension of National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, and other senior officials.
In a retaliatory action, Anyanwu’s faction suspended Damagum, Ologunagba, and four other key figures, further intensifying the party’s internal crisis.
By Monday, while Mohammed took charge at the Wadata Plaza headquarters, Damagum and his loyalists were conspicuously absent, signalling a deepening rift within the opposition party just days before its convention.
With the Oyo State High Court’s latest directive now standing, the PDP appears legally cleared to proceed with its convention.
However, the conflicting orders from courts in Ibadan and Abuja, coupled with the leadership feud within the party, have set the stage for what observers describe as a crucial test of unity and legal interpretation ahead of the 2025 political calendar.
