The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the 2025 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the PDP led by former Minister of Special Duties Kabiru Turaki, SAN, which had challenged the jurisdiction of the lower court to hear the case.
The appeal was part of nine harmonised appeals brought against the October 31, 2025 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred INEC from validating the outcome of the party’s national convention conducted between November 15 and 16, 2025 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Onyemenam ruled that the lower court was right to assume jurisdiction over the matter, rejecting the argument by the appellants that the dispute was purely an internal affair of the party. The court held that the appellants could not “repackage a clear violation of the party constitution and that of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an internal party affair.”
The appellate court further found that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional and statutory provisions governing the conduct of political party conventions. Justice Onyemenam stated that the party did not serve a valid notice of the convention on INEC as required by law and also failed to conduct valid congresses in more than 14 states before convening the national convention.
According to the court, compliance with legal and constitutional provisions governing political parties is essential to democratic governance. Justice Onyemenam emphasized that “non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and party Constitution and Guidelines are at the heart of democratic governance, and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy.”
The court consequently dismissed the appeal and awarded costs of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling affirms the earlier judgment delivered on October 31, 2025 by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja. In that judgment, the trial court restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the Ibadan convention until the party complied with relevant legal provisions.
Justice Omotosho had held that the PDP failed to meet mandatory legal conditions required for the conduct of a valid convention, including issuing the statutory 21-day notice to INEC to enable the commission monitor party meetings and congresses. The judge also ruled that notices and correspondence issued by the party’s National Chairman without the endorsement of the National Secretary were invalid.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was filed by three aggrieved PDP members — Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Abraham Nnanna and Turnah Alabh George. Through their counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, they had asked the court to stop the planned convention where new national officers of the party were expected to be elected.
Those listed as defendants in the suit included INEC, the PDP, the party’s National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Baturrle, members of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, as well as the Acting National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum, alongside Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
With the Court of Appeal decision, the restraining order against INEC recognising the outcome of the PDP’s 2025 national convention remains in force unless overturned by the Supreme Court, further deepening the internal leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
