The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court which restrained 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 capital of Oyo State.
Delivering judgment on the appeal, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam affirmed the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court delivered on October 31, 2025, stating that the PDP violated constitutional provisions required for the conduct of a valid national convention.
According to the appellate court, the party failed to serve a valid notice of the convention on the Independent National Electoral Commission as required by law.
Justice Onyemenam also held that valid congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states of the federation before the convention was organized, which is a requirement under the law.
The court further ruled that the lawsuit filed by aggrieved members of the party was not an internal affair of the PDP as earlier suggested, but rather an attempt to compel INEC to perform its statutory duties regarding the monitoring and recognition of party conventions.
Having established that the PDP failed to comply with relevant legal provisions, the Court of Appeal concluded that the Federal High Court acted properly in assuming jurisdiction and issuing an order restraining INEC from accepting or recognizing the outcome of the PDP’s 2025 National Convention.
“Compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and party constitution and guidelines are at the heart of democratic governance and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” Justice Onyemenam stated in the ruling.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had earlier issued the restraining order on October 31, 2025, preventing INEC from recognizing the outcome of the Ibadan convention until the party complied with all legal requirements.
The court based its decision on findings that the PDP did not meet several conditions stipulated by law for the conduct of such conventions.
Evidence presented by the electoral body and some aggrieved party members indicated that congresses were not held in certain states of the federation, contrary to legal provisions.
The court also ruled that notices and official correspondence of the party signed by the national chairman without the national secretary violated the law, thereby rendering such documents invalid.
In addition, the Federal High Court held that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21 day notice required for meetings and congresses, which would have enabled INEC to perform its statutory duty of monitoring the proceedings.
Justice Omotosho observed that the failure of the PDP to comply with these legal provisions placed the planned convention in jeopardy and advised the party to address the issues before proceeding with the exercise.
Consequently, the court restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognizing the outcome of the convention held in Ibadan until the party complied with all legal requirements.
The suit was filed by three aggrieved members of the party: Austin Nwachukwu, Chairman of the PDP in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Chairman of the PDP in Abia State; and Turnah Alabh George, Secretary of the PDP in the South South.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was instituted on their behalf by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Daudu.
The plaintiffs had asked the court to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of the PDP scheduled to take place in Ibadan, where new national officers were expected to be elected.
The defendants in the case included INEC, the PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, National Organizing Secretary, the party’s National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
