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Appeal Court Fixes Date To Hear Legal Battle On PDP National Convention
The battle over the legality of the November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will commence at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, on February 12, 2026.
A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, on Tuesday fixed the date for hearing in eight appeals challenging the Ibadan convention that produced the Tanimu Turaki-led National Executive Committee of the party.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the appellate court entertained eight separate appeals arising from three different judgments delivered on the controversial convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The appeals were filed by the pro-Seyi Makinde group seeking to wrest control of the party from loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The convention had deepened the crisis within the opposition party, polarising it into factions and triggering conflicting court orders.
Two judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier restrained the PDP from proceeding with the convention, while an Oyo State High Court granted the party approval to conduct it and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor and recognise its outcome.
Justice Olaniran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, in an ex-parte ruling in a suit filed by Mr Folahan Malomo Adelabi, ordered INEC to attend and monitor the convention.
His order came barely 72 hours after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a contrary directive restraining INEC from participating in or recognising the outcome of the convention.
Justice Akintola specifically restrained the defendants from taking any action that would “truncate or frustrate the Guidelines, Timetable and Schedule of Activity and/or disrupt, prevent or stop the conduct of the Scheduled National Convention” pending the hearing of the substantive motion.
However, Justice Omotosho, in a judgment on a suit filed by aggrieved PDP members including Hon Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Hon Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South), held that INEC should not recognise any convention conducted in breach of the law.
“INEC should not accept the results of any convention in breach of the law,” Omotosho ruled.
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