Fresh Court Ruling Says Peoples Democratic Party Can Proceed With Ibadan Convention

An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has cleared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold its elective National Convention as scheduled on Saturday, 15th and Sunday, 16th November 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor and observe the convention.

The defendants in the case included the PDP, its acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum (for himself and members of the party’s National Working Committee and National Executive Committee), the Governor of Adamawa State, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (for himself and members of the National Convention Organising Committee), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a landmark ruling delivered on 3rd November 2025, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, presided over by Hon. Justice A. L. Akintola, unequivocally cleared the party to proceed with the convention as scheduled.

The court, in Suit No. I/1336/2025, filed by Folahan Malamo Adelabi, an aspirant for the position of Deputy National Organising Secretary, ordered the PDP, its servants, agents, or officers not to truncate or frustrate the guidelines, timetable and schedule of activities, or disrupt, prevent, or stop the scheduled national convention.

Akintola ordered the INEC to deploy monitors and observers to the convention to ensure full compliance with electoral laws, thereby reinforcing the transparency and legitimacy of the exercise.

The court also directed Rt. Hon. Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri, the chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), to proceed with all arrangements relating to the exercise.

The applicant in the motion had prayed the court for an order of interim injunction directing the 1st to 3rd defendants, their officers, servants, and/or agents to hold, conduct, or convene the said elective national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, scheduled for 15th and 16th November 2025 at Ibadan, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

The applicant also sought an order of interim injunction compelling the defendants to hold, conduct, and/or convene the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party scheduled for 15th and 16th November 2025 at Ibadan to elect officers of the party at the national level, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

The court held, “UPON READING the Motion Ex-parte and the affidavit in support of the motion, deposed to by Folahan Malomo Adelabi, AND AFTER HEARING A. E. Okeiue Esq, Counsel for the applicant, who moved the ex-parte motion dated 3rd November 2025 and filed on the same date in terms.

“It is hereby ordered as follows: Having carefully considered the claimant/applicant’s motion Ex-parte together with the affidavit in support as well as the written address of counsel, this court is satisfied that the claimant/applicant has successfully made out a case for the urgent intervention of this court at this stage as a demonstration of sincerity and transparency.”

The matter has been adjourned until 10th November 2025, for the hearing of the motion on notice.

The certified true copy of the enrolment of order was signed by the Principal Registrar of the Oyo State High Court, Mrs. S. O. Hammed, and issued at Ibadan under the seal of the court on 3rd November 2025.

It is worth recalling that a Federal High Court in Abuja had previously stopped the PDP from conducting its planned national convention slated for 15th and 16th November in Ibadan.

The presiding judge, James Omotosho, ruled that the evidence before the court showed that the PDP failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned national convention, as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, guidelines of INEC, as well as its own constitution.

The PDP chairman in Imo State, Austine Nwachukwu, the Abia State chairman, Amah Abraham Nnanna, and the South-South secretary of the party, Turnah George, filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025.

With this current judgment, all legal encumbrances previously threatening the PDP’s convention have been removed, allowing the NCOC to finalise arrangements for over 3,000 delegates—including governors, National Assembly members, statutory delegates, and other key stakeholders—from across the country and the Federal Capital Territory.

Convention: Oyo PDP Hails Court Judgment

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Oyo State chapter has hailed the ruling of the Oyo State High Court, which cleared the party to proceed with its elective national convention scheduled for 15th and 16th November 2025, in Ibadan.

Reacting to the judgment on Tuesday, the party’s state chairman, Mr. Dayo Ogunbenro, described the ruling as a victory for democracy and a welcome relief for party members across the country.

“I am the state chairman of the party; do you expect me to be sad about that judgment? I’m happy, and the teeming supporters of the PDP in Oyo State are happy.

“We were in a meeting of the State Working Committee when His Excellency called to share the news. We are happy, and by the special grace of God, the convention will go ahead as planned,” he said.

He noted that while politics naturally accommodates divergent interests, the PDP has internal mechanisms to resolve disputes and reconcile differences after the convention.

“Politics is about interests; sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. There will always be contentions, but after the convention, if there’s anything to mediate upon, we’ll do so,” he added.

Ogunbenro reaffirmed the PDP’s position as Nigeria’s leading opposition party, insisting that Nigerians were yearning for its return to power.

“Whether anyone likes it or not, the PDP remains the only vibrant opposition party in this country today.

“Comparing Jonathan’s administration to Buhari’s and the current one, Nigerians can now see the difference. By 2027, the people will choose the PDP again,” he maintained.

In the same vein, the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr. Michael Ogunshina, expressed gratitude for the court’s decision, stating that it had restored confidence among members and delegates nationwide.

“We are indeed very pleased as a political party. We have been preparing for this convention for quite some time and have made all necessary arrangements for the venue.

“When the unfortunate news broke last week that the convention had been suspended by a court of law, it was a major concern for us.

“Therefore, we are delighted that another competent court has now given the green light for the convention to go ahead,” he said.

Ogunshina clarified that the ruling was based on an ex parte motion and that the substantive hearing had been scheduled for 10th November. He noted that the decision still allowed the party to continue its preparations.

“The ex parte motion was filed by one of the aspirants in the forthcoming election who, by law, has the locus standi to do so.

“The court, in its wisdom, has taken the aspirant’s concerns into account while allowing the process to continue.

“As a political party, we recognise that, like any large family, we have members with diverse interests and opinions. What matters most is our ability to harmonise those interests and bring everyone together,” he explained.

On the PDP’s national prospects, Ogunshina expressed optimism that Nigerians would vote overwhelmingly for the party in 2027, citing widespread dissatisfaction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Governor Seyi Makinde has often said, and I echo his words, that the 2027 election will not merely be between the PDP and the APC; it will be between Nigerians and the APC.

“The ruling APC has become its own greatest opposition. Nigerians are now yearning for the PDP’s return, and once we put our house in order, victory in 2027 is certain,” he stated.

The PDP in the state, however, reaffirmed its readiness to host thousands of delegates and stakeholders from across the federation for what it described as a “historic and unifying” national convention in Ibadan, with the court’s clearance and preparations in full swing