Wike’s group commends ‘landmark judgement’ halting PDP national convention

By Awwal Owolabi

1 November 2025

Politics

The Eminent Leaders and Concerned Stakeholders, a group in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has commended the court judgment halting the party’s planned national convention.

In a communiqué issued after a meeting on Friday night, the group described the court’s ruling as a “landmark judgement” that upholds the supremacy of the party’s constitution and reinforces the rule of law.

“We express our profound appreciation for this judicial intervention that restores order, legality, and confidence in the PDP as a law-abiding institution.

“We restate our unwavering commitment to the principles of fairness, justice, equity, and inclusivity; the founding pillars of our great Party, and commend the judiciary for its courage in upholding truth over impunity,” the communiqué reads.

The stakeholders said the lawsuit was not an “interference” but a “patriotic effort to ensure that INEC performs its constitutional duties in entrenching internal democracy in political party administration.”

On Friday, a federal high court in Abuja stopped the PDP’s planned national convention, which was scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan.

James Omotosho, the presiding judge, stated that the party “failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned national convention.”

Omotosho ruled that notices and official correspondence signed by the PDP national chairman without the national secretary’s co-signature were “invalid” and a “breach of the law”.

The judge also faulted the party for failing to issue the mandatory 21-day notice to INEC, “thereby preventing the commission from fulfilling its oversight role of monitoring such activities.”

Consequently, the court barred INEC from “receiving, publishing, or recognising any outcome” from the proposed convention.

The Wike-led group said the ruling affirmed Dan Orbih as the authentic national vice-chairman (south-south) and “restated that all correspondence to INEC must be jointly signed by the national chairman and the national secretary.”

The PDP national leadership, however, had previously stated that the judgment “will not stop its preparations” for the convention and that it would appeal the decision.