By Vincent Egunyanga, Abuja
In yet another legal setback for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a fresh order restraining the party from proceeding with its planned National Convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supervising, monitoring, or recognising any outcome from the proposed convention meant to elect new national officers of the party.
The interim order followed a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor Dr Sule Lamido, who alleged that the PDP had unjustly denied him the opportunity to obtain the chairmanship nomination form, thereby excluding him from the contest.
Lamido, a founding member of the party and one-time Minister of Foreign Affairs, contended that such exclusion violated both the PDP constitution and the Electoral Act.
Justice Lifu held that the party failed to comply with established legal and procedural requirements for convening its national convention, particularly by not publishing the convention timetable for the attention of members as stipulated by law.
The court maintained that such procedural lapses undermined internal democracy within the party.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu emphasised that Lamido would suffer greater harm if the convention were allowed to proceed without first addressing his exclusion.
He further warned that disregard for due process and constitutional provisions could erode democratic principles and plunge the political system into chaos.
“The rule of law must prevail over political expediency,” Justice Lifu declared, stressing that any deviation from legal norms could breed anarchy and delegitimise party processes.
Consequently, the court restrained the PDP from holding the planned convention on November 15 and 16 or any subsequent date, whether in Ibadan or elsewhere, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also ordered not to oversee, monitor, or validate any outcomes of the prohibited event.
Lamido, who was in court alongside key political allies — including Senator Mustapha Khabeeb (Zamnan Dutse), Alhaji Umaru Mai Shadai, Dr Babandi Ibrahim, Hon. Nasiru Umar Roni, Hon. Nasir Mohammed Sparrow, Hon. Umar Danhani Hadejia, and Hon. Kabiru Nura Kazaure — hailed the decision as a victory for internal party democracy.
*Restraining order didn’t come as a shock to us, says Olafeso, ex-national VP
Meanwhile, a former national vice chairman of the PDP, Dr Eddy Olafeso, has accused those opposing the party’s national convention of working to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.
Olafeso made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
Reacting to the Federal High Court’s order stopping the PDP from holding its national convention scheduled for November 15 to 16 in Ibadan, Olafeso described the decision as “the climax of judicial rascality”.
“The restraining order from the Federal High Court today against our scheduled convention did not come as a shock to us.
“A group is focused on ensuring that they destroy the party completely, but we will not allow it. Good will prevail over evil,” he said.
Olafeso insisted that the party would not be deterred by the ruling, expressing optimism that the convention would still hold.
