UPDATED: Supreme Court nullifies PDP's Ibadan convention
…says convention was held in flagrant disobedience of court order In two split decisions of three to two, the Supreme Court on Thursday voided the national convention held by the
...says convention was held in flagrant disobedience of court order
In two split decisions of three to two, the Supreme Court on Thursday voided the national convention held by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, which produced the Kabiru Turaki leadership of the party.
In the lead majority judgments, the Supreme Court held that the convention was held in violation of subsisting court orders barring the PDP from proceeding with the convention unless it meets some certain conditions.
The apex court condemned the decision by the PDP to proceed with the convention held on November 15 and 16 despite the subsistence of orders of the court asking it to meet some conditions before holding the convention.
In the lead majorly judgment, Justice Stephen Adah described as despicable the decision of the PDP to approach another High Court of coordinate jurisdiction to obtain favourable orders rather than obey the earlier ones that were still subsisting.
Justice Adah held that the PDP's conduct constituted an abuse of court's process that no court should tolerate.
Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, in the second lead majority judgment, also spoke in similar vein.
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Both appeals were dismissed for lacking in merit.
However, in the lead minority judgment, Justice Haruna Tsammani allowed the appeal on the grounds that the issue raised by Lamido that he wanted to contest the party's chairmanship position, but was not allowed to buy the form was part of internal affairs of a political party that are not justiciable and over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
Justice Tsammani also held that the Federal High Court that made the orders which the PDP failed to obey lacked the jurisdiction to have entertained the suit filed by a Lamido because it challenges the decision of the PDP, a private organisation, which is not an agency of the Federal Government.
He agreed that the decision by the PDP to proceed with the convention in disobedience of subsisting orders was representable, but not sufficient to lead to the dismissal of the appeals.
Justice Abubakar Umar agreed with Justice Tsammani in the minority judgments.
The first judgment was on the appeal marked: SC/CV/164/2026 filed by the PDP against the Court of Appeal's March 9 decision, which affirmed the November 14, 2025 judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The second judgment was on the appeal, marked:SC/CV/166/2026 filed by the PDP, its National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja also delivered on March 9, which affirmed the earlier decision by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
