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Oyo State High Court in Ibadan has granted approval for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to proceed with its much-anticipated elective National Convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025.
In a ruling delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola, the court issued an interim order permitting the convention to take place in Ibadan as planned. The judge also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend and monitor the exercise pending the determination of the substantive motion on notice.
The decision followed an ex-parte motion filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, Governor Umaru Fintiri (Chairman of the Convention Organising Committee), and INEC. Adelabi had sought to prevent any attempt to “truncate, frustrate, or disrupt” the timetable and schedule of activities leading up to the convention.
After considering the application, Justice Akintola ruled that the matter warranted urgent intervention. According to him, “The court finds merit in the claimant’s motion ex-parte. The same succeeds and is hereby ordered as prayed.”
Consequently, the court restrained any interference with the PDP’s timetable and ordered that the convention proceed as scheduled. The motion on notice for interlocutory injunction was adjourned to November 10, 2025.
The order, dated November 3, 2025, was signed by the court’s Principal Registrar, S. O. Hammed, under the seal of the Oyo State High Court.
This development comes just days after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, halted the same convention pending the party’s compliance with its constitution and the Electoral Act. Justice Omotosho had also restrained INEC from accepting any convention report that did not follow due process.
Reacting swiftly, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba dismissed the Abuja ruling, insisting it would not stop the party from moving ahead with preparations. He described the judgment as “an assault on Nigeria’s democratic processes” and confirmed that the party’s legal team had been instructed to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, tensions intensified at the PDP’s national headquarters in Abuja on Monday as Abdulrahman Mohammed, former Vice Chairman for the North Central zone, assumed office as acting national chairman. He arrived at the secretariat with his supporters, reaffirming his new role and pledging to restore order in the party.
Mohammed’s emergence followed the suspension of Umar Damagum and Debo Ologunagba by a faction of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Samuel Anyanwu. The opposing faction loyal to Damagum had earlier suspended Anyanwu and other top officers, escalating the party’s internal feud.
While the Anyanwu-backed faction resumed duties at the PDP headquarters, Damagum and his allies were noticeably absent, underscoring the deepening leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
