Olayiwola Matthew
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from going ahead with its planned national convention slated to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16.
The court, in the judgment that was delivered by Justice James Omotosho, upheld a case that was brought before it by three aggrieved members of the party.
The court held that evidence adduced before it established that the party failed to comply with provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as its own Constitution.
It stressed that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses before it moved to hold the convention to elect its national officers.
Consequently, the court directed the PDP to go back and put its house in order, and equally send the statutory 21-day notice before it could proceed with the proposed convention.
The plaintiffs- Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South, had in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, urged the court to halt the planned convention.
Cited as defendants in the matter were: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); PDP; the National Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; the National Organising Secretary of the party, Umar Baturrle; two national officers of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi, as well as the NWC and NEC of the party.
The court dismissed preliminary objections the defendants filed to challenge its jurisdiction to meddle in what they insisted was an internal affair of a political party.
More details soon…