The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the outcome of the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The convention was held between November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Delivering judgment on the appeal, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam affirmed the October 31, 2025, ruling of the Federal High Court, holding that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional and statutory requirements governing the conduct of such conventions.
Justice Onyemenam ruled that the party did not properly serve the mandatory notice of the convention on INEC as required by law. The appellate court also found that valid congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states of the federation prior to the convention, contrary to legal provisions.
The court further held that the suit filed by aggrieved members of the PDP was not an internal party matter but an attempt to compel INEC to perform its statutory duties regarding the monitoring and recognition of party conventions.
According to the court, the PDP’s failure to comply with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its own party constitution justified the intervention of the Federal High Court.
“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022, and party constitution and guidelines strikes at the heart of democratic governance and must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” Justice Onyemenam stated.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had earlier, on October 31, 2025, restrained INEC from recognizing or publishing the outcome of the Ibadan convention until the PDP complied with all legal requirements.
The judge held that evidence presented by INEC and some aggrieved party members showed that congresses were not conducted in certain states, in breach of the law.
He also ruled that notices and official correspondence issued by the party’s National Chairman without the endorsement of the National Secretary violated legal requirements, rendering them invalid.
The court further held that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21-day notice of its meetings and congresses to INEC, thereby preventing the electoral body from carrying out its statutory monitoring role.
Justice Omotosho consequently restrained INEC from receiving, publishing, or recognizing the outcome of the convention until the party fully complied with the law.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was filed by three aggrieved PDP members—Austin Nwachukwu, the party’s chairman in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia State chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, PDP Secretary in the South-South.
They instituted the case through their counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joseph Daudu, seeking to stop the planned convention where new national officers of the party were to be elected.
The defendants in the suit included INEC, the PDP, the party’s National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organizing Secretary Umar Baturrle, members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, as well as Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
The ruling is in favor of Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory faction of the PDP.
