Fatimah Otunsanya
The Peoples Democratic Party has reaffirmed that its national convention scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, will proceed as planned despite a recent court ruling.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary and Secretary of the 2025 National Convention Organising Publicity Sub-committee, Debo Ologunagba, dismissed reports of a postponement as “False, misleading, and the handiwork of political detractors.”
The statement read in part, “The 2025 national convention of the PDP has not been postponed but will go on as scheduled on Saturday, November 15, and Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
“We urge all party members and Nigerians to disregard the misleading claims being peddled by some individuals recruited by the All Progressives Congress in its failed attempt to stop the PDP national convention.”
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to destabilise the main opposition party and create conditions for a one-party state, vowing that such efforts “will be lawfully resisted.”
Ologunagba added that the National Convention Organising Committee was working tirelessly to ensure a smooth and successful exercise, noting that delegates and stakeholders had already begun arriving in Ibadan.
However, a faction of the party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had earlier announced the suspension of the convention, citing a judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025.
Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Muhammed, and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the court restrained the PDP from proceeding with the convention pending the resolution of a leadership dispute.
They disclosed that the party had filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal and decided to suspend the exercise “in obedience to the rule of law.”
“Having filed an appeal and in line with our responsibility to uphold the rule of law, the PDP hereby suspends and cancels the proposed Ibadan National Convention pending the decision of the Court of Appeal,” Muhammed stated recently.
The conflicting positions stem from two parallel court rulings — one from Abuja and another from Oyo State.
While the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained the PDP from going ahead with the convention, a High Court sitting in Oyo granted an ex parte order permitting the event to proceed.
The Oyo order has since been cited by the National Working Committee and members of the Board of Trustees as the legal basis for continuing preparations.
Anyanwu, however, argued that the Abuja ruling takes precedence, given that matters involving national institutions fall within the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction.
The Abuja judgment takes precedence. The Oyo order is merely an ex parte order that lasts seven days. Before it was granted, we had already filed an appeal, which means all actions are stayed pending its outcome,” he said.
Anyanwu also reacted to reports of his absence from a meeting of the PDP Board of Trustees, where members reportedly backed the convention’s continuation. He dismissed the gathering as “one-sided,” claiming he was not invited.
“If I was not invited, then that meeting cannot be called a BoT meeting. Most of those present have not been confirmed as BoT members. It was a gathering of friends and associates, not an official BoT meeting,” he added.
The suspended National Secretary further disclosed that the PDP national secretariat in Abuja was temporarily shut earlier in the week following an alleged attempt by suspected thugs to attack the premises.
“On November 1, I wrote to the Inspector-General of Police and the DSS after receiving intelligence about a planned attack on the secretariat. I was nearly assaulted when I arrived at the office, and it was the police who saved the staff from harm. The closure was necessary to ensure safety,” he explained.
Despite the internal crisis, both factions insist the PDP remains united in its commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and peace.
The Ibadan convention, which is expected to elect new national officers and reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, has become a litmus test for the opposition’s cohesion amid growing internal dissent and legal uncertainty.