Court asks PDP to proceed with planned national convention

The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has cleared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to proceed with its elective national convention scheduled for 15 and 16 November.

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The judge, A. L. Akintola, issued the interim order on Monday following an ex-parte application, Channels Television reported on Tuesday.

The decision runs counter to the ruling delivered just about four days ago by the Federal High Court in Abuja, stopping the planned convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

In its ruling on Monday, a copy of which was seen by Channels Television, the Oyo court issued the order allowing the party to proceed with the convention after listening to the ex-parte application filed by Folahan Adelabi.

The judge held that the claimant successfully demonstrated the need for urgent judicial intervention in the PDP matter.

“The court finds merit in the claimant’s motion ex-parte. The same succeeds and is hereby ordered as prayed,” the judge ruled.

Mr Adelabi filed the application, joining as respondents the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Governor Umaru Fintiri (representing the National Convention Organising Committee); and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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The claimant had urged the court to restrain the defendants from truncating, frustrating, or disrupting the timetable, guidelines, and schedule of activities leading to the convention.

Granting the prayer, the court issued a raft of interim orders restraining any interference with the PDP’s timetable and schedule of activities and compelling the defendants to hold the national convention as fixed.

The judge then adjourned the hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction till 10 November.

Earlier on Friday, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order stopping the planned national convention,

Mr Omotosho ruled that the planning for the national convention violated the Nigerian constitution, the guidelines of the INEC as well as the PDP constitution.

The counter-decisions from the courts reflect the ongoing supremacy battle between rival groups within the PDP over the years, which has rocked the party in the aftermath of the 2023 general elections.

The crisis escalated over the weekend with the national chairperson, Umar Damagum, along with some members of the National Working Committee (NWC), announcing the suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, and other principal officers.

The crisis worsened on Monday, as Mohammed Abdulrahman, the factional acting chairperson appointed by a bloc loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, resumed duty.

Mr Abdulrahman arrived at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja at about 12 noon, accompanied by a crowd of supporters who hailed and chanted his name as they moved through the premises.

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The faction that produced Mr Abdulrahman as chairperson is led by Mr Anyanwu, the embattled national secretary who was suspended on Saturday by the Damagum-led faction of the PDP’s NWC after an emergency meeting.

Mr Abdulrahman arrived at the secretariat shortly after Mr Anyanwu who had already taken his seat in the office despite his suspension.

Some staff members of the PDP secretariat were attacked by supporters of the faction, who allegedly feared the workers might prevent Messrs Abdulrahman and Anyanwu from accessing the offices.

The factional leaders and their supporters, however, gained entry into one of the offices in the building. It was unclear at the time whether it was the office of the national chairperson or that of the national secretary.

Mr Mohammed was declared acting national chairperson by the Mr Anyanwu-led NWC, which suspended the party’s national chairman, Mr Damagum, and the national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba.