A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a fresh order restraining Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), from proceeding with its planned national convention. The court also barred the electoral commission, INEC, from recognising the event’s outcomes.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Tuesday, represents the second time the court has intervened to stop the convention, which was scheduled for Ibadan on 15-16 November.
The injunction was granted following an application by a prominent party chieftain, Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State. Mr Lamido brought the suit against his own party, contending that he was unlawfully denied the opportunity to purchase a nomination form to contest for the party’s national chairmanship position.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu stated that the evidence presented demonstrated the PDP had “refused, neglected, and failed to comply with relevant conditions and laws” governing the conduct of its conventions. A key finding was that the party’s timetable for the convention was not properly published for its members, as required by law.
The judge argued that the “balance of convenience” favoured the applicant, Mr Lamido, who would suffer greater injury if he were “unlawfully excluded” from the electoral process. He emphasised the necessity of strict adherence to due process, warning that to do otherwise “will endanger democracy itself.”
Consequently, the court restrained the PDP from holding the convention in Ibadan or any other location on the scheduled dates or any other date. In a significant move, it also prohibited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from “supervising, monitoring, or recognising the outcome” of any such convention.
This legal setback throws the PDP’s internal electoral processes into disarray and creates a major impediment to its efforts to elect a new national leadership. The party has yet to issue an official statement on the court’s decision and its next steps.
The ruling underscores the ongoing internal disputes within the opposition party and presents a fresh challenge to its cohesion and organisational stability ahead of future elections.
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