Preparations for Saturday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elective national convention have gathered momentum despite conflicting court verdicts over whether or not the gathering should hold.
This comes as the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan yesterday extended its interim order forbidding any interference with the party’s convention, scheduled to hold in Ibadan, the state capital, on Saturday.
The court fixed Friday for hearing of the substantive case.
Checks by LEADERSHIP showed that party leaders and delegates have already arrived in the Oyo State capital for the convention, which will also elect new national leadership for the party.
The National Secretary of the convention, Senator Ben Obi, chairmen of the sub-committees, and party leaders were seen inspecting the venue for the gathering — the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
Meanwhile, delegates for the national convention are expected to arrive in the state capital from Friday.
Recall that two court verdicts, filed by a camp led by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and founding PDP member, Sule Lamido, had opposed the holding of the convention through legal processes.
Two Abuja High Courts had granted the pleas of Wike and Lamido, filed separately, for the party’s gathering not to hold as scheduled.
However, an Ibadan State Court has cleared the party to go ahead with the convention.
The legal tussle follows a long battle for the soul of the party ahead of the 2027 election, which has resulted in a split National Working Committee (NWC) and the emergence of an acclaimed new Board of Trustees (BoT).
The battle is essentially between the Amb. Illiya Damagum-led faction, backed by the party’s governors, and the Wike group, which has since pledged support for the APC’s Bola Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
No Going Back On Convention – Damagum-led Camp
Earlier yesterday, the PDP under the leadership of Amb. Illiya Damagum declared that it would go ahead with the national convention as planned on 15 November.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, who also serves as Secretary of the Publicity and Communication Sub-Committee of the convention, stated this in response to a fresh High Court ruling in Abuja stopping the gathering.
The statement read: “The National Working Committee (NWC) and the 2025 National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) inform all party members and the general public that the 2025 National Convention of the PDP has not been postponed but will go on as scheduled from Saturday, 15th to Sunday, 16th November, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
“The NWC and the NCOC urge party members and Nigerians in general to disregard misleading claims being peddled to the contrary by some individuals who, it has been revealed, were recruited by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in its failed attempt to stop the PDP National Convention.
“We are aware of the plots by the APC to destabilise the opposition and impose a one-party state on the country — a design that will be lawfully resisted.
“The NCOC and the party will continue to work assiduously, round the clock, to ensure a successful national convention in Ibadan as scheduled.
“While thanking Nigerians for their overwhelming support for our party, the NCOC welcomes all delegates, party leaders, officials, and all supporters of the PDP who have already started arriving in Ibadan for the national convention.”
Again, Ibadan Court Extends Order For Convention To Hold
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Ladiran Akintola, ordered that the interim order on the ex-parte motion filed by the claimant/applicant would continue to subsist pending determination of the substantive suit.
The court, in its ruling on the ex-parte motion, had earlier ordered the Peoples Democratic Party to proceed with its national convention as scheduled to hold in Ibadan on Saturday.
The claimant/applicant had sought the order of the court restraining the defendants – acting national chairman Umar Illiya Damagum; the governor of Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri (for himself and members of the National Convention Organising Committee); and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or their agents – from truncating or frustrating the conduct of the party’s scheduled national convention.
The court also directed the PDP leadership to adhere strictly to the guidelines, timetable, and schedule of activities earlier released for the convention.
However, Justice Akintola said: “Having listened to the counsel of both parties, the case has been adjourned till tomorrow (Friday) for hearing.”
The judge, also ruling on the application for joinder filed by another party on the same issue, said such application could not be accepted on the ground that it was not signed by the deponent.
But lead counsel for the defendant, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Emmanuel Ukala, argued that the issue of authorship lacked merit since the author or deponent was well known, submitting that it was not a total absence of signature.
The presiding judge, however, said the application could be refiled.
In a sideline interview, lead counsel Musibau Adetunmbi (SAN) said: “We were about to take the application for joinder and the Court discovered that the affidavit was not signed.”
On the interim injunction, he added that the order would continue to subsist as directed by the Court.
Recall that the PDP chairman in Oyo State, Hon. Dayo Ogungbenro, had on Tuesday declared that the Abuja Federal High Court ruling on the party’s national convention slated for Ibadan was not a threat.
Reacting to the Abuja Court’s ruling stopping the convention, Ogungbenro said:
“Nothing can stop our convention. We are preparing for the convention and we are going to hold it. Nothing can stop it by the grace of God.”
The Abuja Federal High Court had on Tuesday restrained the PDP from going ahead with its scheduled national convention pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit filed by former Governor of Jigawa State, Mr Sule Lamido.
In his ruling, Justice Peter Lifu also restrained INEC from monitoring, supervising, or recognising the outcome of the convention pending the hearing and determination of the suit before him.
Justice Lifu held that the application filed by Sule Lamido was meritorious and accordingly succeeded.
Lifu particularly noted the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho on 31 October stopping the PDP from holding the convention, and further held that it would be in the interest of justice to grant Lamido’s request.
However, an Oyo State High Court in Ibadan had on Monday, through Justice Ladiran Akintola, once again adjourned the hearing of a Motion on Notice in the suit filed by Folahan Malomo Adelabi against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its acting national chairman, and other respondents.
The case, which has attracted growing political attention ahead of the party’s national convention, will now continue on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, following the court’s decision to allow all parties more time to file and exchange necessary processes.
Justice Akintola, after listening to submissions from counsel representing both sides, stressed the importance of properly filing all relevant documents before substantive proceedings could begin.
The judge said the adjournment was necessary to enable the court to take all pending applications together for a smooth hearing.
Ogungbenro, noting that the Oyo State High Court had ordered the party to proceed with the national convention, said: “This is not Abuja; this is Oyo, where everything is taking place.”
On whether this would not amount to long-term litigation, he said: “Wait, let us get there; when we get there, we’ll cross that bridge.”
