Court upholds order compelling PDP to stick to convention timetable
The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has affirmed that its earlier directive ordering the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to adhere to its timetable for the national convention remains in force.
On November 4, the court instructed the PDP and its national chairman, Umar Damagum, to proceed with the party’s national convention scheduled for November 15 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The order was issued by Justice A.L. Akintola after considering an ex parte application filed by Folahan Malomo Adelabi.
The PDP, Damagum, Adamawa State governor Umar Fintiri, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were named as defendants in the suit.
At the hearing on Friday, O. Adeyemi, counsel to INEC, moved a preliminary objection, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain a case involving the electoral body. Adeyemi maintained that INEC “is only subject to the jurisdiction of the federal high court.”
But Musibau Adetumbi, counsel to the applicant, urged the court to dismiss the objection and proceed with the substantive matter, arguing that INEC “did not exclusively fall within the category of agencies that require the jurisdiction of the federal high court.”
After hearing both sides, Justice Akintola adjourned the case to December 8 and ruled that the court’s earlier directive would remain effective until then.
“Ruling in this matter is hereby adjourned till 8th December 2025. While the ruling is pending, the earlier orders of interim injunction shall continue to subsist and have effect until the next date of adjournment in this case,” the judge said.
