The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the ruling of the Federal High Court preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognizing the result of the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel headed by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appeal court dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the PDP led by a former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, which had challenged the jurisdiction of the lower court to hear the suit.
PUNCH Online reports that the appeal was part of nine harmonized appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction against the October 31, 2025 ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which prohibited INEC from validating the result of the party’s November 15-16, 2025 national convention in Ibadan.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal affirmed that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the claim, rejecting the argument that the dispute was merely an internal matter of the party.
The court held that the appellants could not “represent a clear violation of the party constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an internal matter of the party.”
Justice Onyemenam further held that the PDP failed to comply with the necessary constitutional and statutory provisions to be able to hold a valid national convention.
Among other findings, the court stated that no valid notification of the convention was given to INEC as required by law and that no valid congresses were held in more than 14 states before the convention was convened.
The appeals court highlighted that compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Law of 2022 and the party’s constitution and guidelines is essential for democratic governance.
“Failure to comply with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Law of 2022 and the Constitution and Guidelines of the parties are fundamental for democratic governance, and their compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the court held.
The appeal court accordingly dismissed the appeal and awarded N2 million in costs to the appellants.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, in his judgment dated October 31, 2025, restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognizing the outcome of the convention until the party complied with the relevant provisions of the law.
The trial judge held that the evidence before the court showed that congresses were not held in some states of the federation and that the PDP did not issue the mandatory 21-day notice required to allow INEC to monitor its meetings and congresses.
Justice Omotosho also ruled that notifications and correspondence issued by the national president of the party without the endorsement of the national secretary were invalid.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was filed by three aggrieved members of the PDP: Austin Nwachukwu, Imo State PDP Chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia State PDP Chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, PDP South-South Secretary.
The plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had asked the court to stop the planned convention at which new national leaders of the party were expected to be elected.
Defendants in the suit included INEC, PDP, the party’s national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; the Secretary of National Organization, Umar Baturrle; the National Working Committee of the PDP; National Executive Committee; the acting National President, Umar Iliya Damagum; Ali Odefa; and Emmanuel Ogidi.