Court Halts PDP National Convention Again
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has delivered another blow to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stopping the opposition party from proceeding with its planned National Convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Legal Challenge by Former Governor
Former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido successfully obtained an interim order stopping the convention through an ex-parte application filed by his counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Jephthah Njikonye. The application sought to halt the convention pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice.
In his ruling delivered on November 11, 2025, Justice Peter Lifu held that the plaintiff's application had merit and deserved the court's intervention. The judge consequently restrained the PDP from convening the convention until the substantive suit is properly heard and determined.
INEC Also Barred from Convention
The court went further to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring or recognizing the planned convention pending the resolution of the suit filed by Lamido. This decision aligns with an earlier ruling by Justice James Omotosho of the same court delivered on October 31, 2025, which similarly halted the PDP's national convention.
Justice Lifu noted that Lamido, as a bona fide member of the PDP with interest in the position of national chairman, would suffer greater hardship if the interim order was not granted. The convention was intended to elect new national officers to pilot the affairs of the main opposition party.
The court's decision represents another legal setback for the Peoples Democratic Party as it attempts to reorganize its leadership structure ahead of future electoral contests. The party must now await the court's final determination on the substantive suit before proceeding with its convention plans.
