The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has filed a suit before the federal high court in Abuja seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the national convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on November 15 and 16.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/25012025, the party, alongside
Mohammed Abdulrahman, acting national chairman, and Samuel Anyanwu, national
secretary, is asking the court to declare the convention and all decisions
taken at the event as “null, void and of no effect”.
The plaintiffs belong to the PDP loyal to Nyesom Wike,
minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Anyanwu, Wike, Ayo Fayose, former Ekiti governor, and eight
other party chieftains were expelled
from the PDP during the convention in Ibadan.
The plaintiffs are also seeking an order restraining
security agencies and INEC from recognising the sixth to 25th defendants —
including Umar Damagum, Kabiru Turaki, new national chairman, and other
prominent members — as PDP officials.
In the originating summons, the plaintiffs argue that the
Ibadan convention was conducted in flagrant disregard of three subsisting
judgements of the federal high court.
They referred to the judgement delivered on October 31 in
FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025: between Austine Nwachukwu v INEC & Ors; as well as
the interim order of November 11 and judgement of November 14 in
FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025 between Alhaji Sule Lamido v PDP & Ors.
They also cited on the judgement delivered on May 31, 2023,
in FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023: Nyesom Wike v PDP & Ors.
The plaintiffs submitted that the various decisions had
nullified the 21-day notice issued for the national convention and had
expressly restrained the party from conducting the exercise.
They allege that
despite the court rulings, the fifth to 25th defendants “organised themselves
and their cohorts” and convened a gathering in Ibadan where they purportedly
elected national officers and announced the suspension or expulsion of some
prominent party members.
‘AN ATTEMPT TO FORCEFULLY TAKE OVER PDP SECRETARIAT’
In an affidavit deposed to by Anyanwu, the PDP national
secretary said the group made an attempt on November 18 to “forcibly take
control” of the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza and Legacy House
in Abuja but was unsuccessful.
He added that instead of enforcing the subsisting court
orders, the police and Department of State Services (DSS) “sealed up” the
secretariat and denied the legitimate officers of the party access to the
buildings.
“The 2nd to 4th defendants have now sealed up the premises
of the 1st plaintiff and denied the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs access to their
offices,” the affidavit reads.
WHAT THE PLAINTIFFS WANT
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that INEC,
the inspector-general of police, the FCT commissioner of police, and the DSS
are constitutionally bound to enforce the earlier judgements and give full
effect to their provisions.
They also want an order restraining the defendants from
recognising or giving effect to the Ibadan convention or any decisions made
there, as well as an order preventing the sixth to 25th defendants from
parading themselves as officials of the PDP.
In addition, the plaintiffs want the court to direct the
security agencies to provide adequate protection for them and to grant them
access to Wadata Plaza and Legacy House for the purpose of conducting the
affairs of the party.
They further ask the court to restrain INEC from accepting
any change of address for the PDP other than the two existing official
locations in Abuja.
They are also seeking the court’s determination on whether
any authority or institution can lawfully recognise the Ibadan convention in
view of the subsisting judgements and the provisions of the constitution, the
Electoral Act, and the PDP constitution.
The suit is yet to be assigned to a judge, and no date has
been fixed for the hearing.
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