The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Monday by a three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by a faction of the PDP seeking to overturn the earlier ruling.
The lower court, presided over by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, had on October 31, 2025 restrained INEC from recognising or participating in the PDP national convention conducted on November 15 and 16, 2025 in Ibadan.
The convention produced a factional leadership of the party, reportedly headed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Tanimu Turaki, as national chairman.
However, aggrieved members of the party challenged the process, arguing that the convention violated provisions of the party’s constitution and relevant electoral laws. The trial court ruled that the PDP failed to conduct valid congresses in several states prior to the convention and did not properly notify INEC as required by law.
In affirming the judgment, the Court of Appeal held that the trial court acted correctly in restraining INEC from recognising the convention’s outcome. The appellate court also rejected the argument by the appellants that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party beyond the court’s jurisdiction.
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According to the court, the suit was not merely about internal party disputes but about ensuring that INEC complies with statutory provisions governing political party conventions.
The ruling represents a major development in the ongoing leadership crisis within the PDP, as it effectively prevents INEC from recognising the officials that emerged from the Ibadan convention.
