NJI Defends Conflicting Judgments as Uncertainty Shrouds PDP Convention

…Adejumo Says Divergent Court Orders Not Judicial Failure
…PDP Insists Ibadan Convention Will Hold

By Yinka Giwa

The National Judicial Institute (NJI) on Thursday defended the series of conflicting court orders that have thrown the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into turmoil ahead of its national convention, insisting that such contradictions are not a sign of judicial failure but an inherent feature of the justice system. Speaking in Abuja at a pre-conference briefing for the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference, NJI Administrator, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, addressed the controversy triggered by opposing rulings from courts in Abuja and Ibadan over the PDP convention scheduled for this weekend.

Adejumo said conflicting judgments from courts of coordinate jurisdiction “arise naturally” from judges’ varied interpretations of the facts and evidence presented before them. “Judges give judgments based on the facts presented before them and the evidence proved,” he stated, adding that even mature legal systems like that of the United States sometimes produce divergent decisions on similar issues. He stressed that such conflicts are ultimately resolved through the appellate hierarchy, noting that “whatever the Supreme Court decides becomes final and binding.” However, he warned that it would amount to “judicial rascality” for any lower court to contradict a decision of a higher court. Adejumo also called for procedural reforms to limit forum-shopping, including requiring litigants to swear affidavits affirming that their cases are not pending elsewhere, with violations amounting to perjury.

Even as the NJI sought to temper concerns about judicial inconsistencies, uncertainty deepened around the PDP’s convention after judgment in former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido’s suit was unexpectedly stalled at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Lamido is challenging his exclusion from contesting for national chairman. Justice Peter Lifu, who had fixed Thursday for judgment after adopting final arguments from counsel to Lamido, the PDP, joined parties, and INEC, failed to deliver the ruling. The registrar informed parties, including Lamido, that the judgment was “not ready” and that a new date would be communicated. The development brought temporary relief to the faction loyal to acting national chairman Umar Damagum, which had been rattled after Justice Lifu earlier halted the convention and restrained INEC from monitoring or recognising its outcome. The court had held that Lamido’s complaint: that the timetable for the convention was not properly published, raised substantial issues and that the balance of convenience favoured protecting his right to contest.

Despite the legal uncertainty, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) and its 2025 National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) insisted the Ibadan convention would proceed on November 15–16. In a statement, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba urged members to ignore “misleading claims” of postponement, accusing the ruling APC of recruiting saboteurs to destabilise the opposition and “impose a one-party state.” He said preparations continued “round the clock” to ensure a successful convention, even as delegates began arriving in Ibadan.

The crisis also played out in the media, where former Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose declared that the PDP was “decaying from the head,” blaming leadership failures for defections among governors and predicting more departures in the coming weeks. Fayose, who reaffirmed his membership of the PDP but admitted strong support for President Tinubu, said, “PDP is in trouble,” adding that governors of Plateau and another unnamed state were next to leave. Appearing alongside him, former National Vice Chairman Eddy Olafeso accused those opposing the convention of working to entrench a one-party state. Reacting to the Federal High Court’s restraining order, he described the decision as “the climax of judicial rascality” and vowed that “the truth and justice must prevail.”