Court refuses to stop PDP convention

The Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to grant an interim injunction seeking to stop the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from holding its planned National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and national convention scheduled for October and November 2025.

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The judge, J.K. Omotosho, in a ruling delivered on Thursday, declined to grant the interim orders filed by Austine Nwachukwu, chairman of the PDP in Imo State; Amah Nnanna, chairman of the Abia State chapter, and Turnah George, secretary of the PDP South-south zone.

The aggrieved party members had filed a motion against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP.

The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Joseph Daudu, alongside Ogwu Onoja, M.A. Ebute, Adedayo Adedeji, and Chima Chidi, had asked the court to restrain INEC from monitoring or recognising any meeting or convention organised by the PDP without due notice and adherence to democratic procedures.

They also sought to stop the party’s leadership from convening the NEC meeting scheduled for 15 October, and the national convention planned for 15 to 16 November, in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital.

However, Mr Omotosho held that the defendants, which are INEC, the PDP, and its principal officers, must first be served with the substantive motion on notice before any restraining order could be made.

“The Motion Ex parte for Interim Injunction is hereby refused. The Plaintiffs/Applicants are hereby ordered to serve the Defendants with the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction,” the judge said.

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The judge, also cautioned all parties against taking any steps capable of rendering the substantive application before the court useless.

“All parties in this suit upon being served with this order and the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction must not take any step, decision or do any act that will make the outcome of the reliefs in the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction nugatory,” the judge added.

He added that any action taken to undermine the pending judicial process shall be nullified, emphasising that once a party has been served with court processes, it must refrain from acts that could frustrate the proceedings.

“Any step, decision or act taken to make the outcome of a judicial process such as the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction nugatory shall be deemed to be a nullity. It is trite law that upon being served with a court process, no party shall take any steps to make the outcome of such process nugatory,” Mr Omotosho said.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter to 14 October 14, for hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

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The plaintiffs, believed to allies of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Nyesom, are seeking to compel INEC to perform its constitutional duty of monitoring and regulating the internal affairs of the PDP, alleging that the party’s leadership plans to hold the NEC meeting and convention in violation of its constitution and democratic norms.

With the refusal of the interim injunction, the PDP’s planned NEC and convention are, for now, not legally halted, though the parties have been warned to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive motion.