PDP Affirms Legal Validity Of Ibadan Convention

…Says conflicting rulings cannot overturn subsisting competent order

By Franklin Adole
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that its National Convention, held over the weekend in Ibadan, Oyo State, rests on an unshakeable legal foundation, despite the swirl of conflicting court rulings that trailed the event. The party insists that the Oyo State High Court judgment delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola remains the only clear, subsisting, and enforceable order directly tied to the conduct of the convention.

This position was strongly defended by Umar Sani, former PDP Presidential Campaign Spokesperson and former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Vice President Namadi Sambo, who spoke exclusively to KTH Daily. Sani maintained that the Ibadan ruling is the guiding legal instrument that authorized the party’s highest decision-making body to convene.

According to him, the Oyo High Court properly assumed jurisdiction because “both the plaintiff and the venue of the convention fell squarely within Ibadan, giving the court indisputable territorial and subject-matter competence.” He explained that the plaintiff, a bona fide aspirant who had purchased nomination forms, obtained receipts, and was already scheduled for screening, possessed a firm locus standi. “Stopping the convention would have caused him direct injury, and the court was right to intervene and protect his rights,” Sani told KTH Daily.

“Justice Akintola’s ruling did more than acknowledge jurisdiction; it issued a consequential order explicitly directing the PDP to proceed with the convention and compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe the process,”Sani emphasised, saying that this clarity distinguishes the Ibadan judgment from the earlier Abuja rulings.

He specifically addressed the judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which critics had interpreted as halting the convention. “Contrary to widespread assumptions, Justice Omotosho did not stop the PDP from holding its national convention,” Sani said. “He only urged the party to reconcile internal issues. There was no direct, operative injunction stopping the exercise.”

By contrast, he noted, “Justice Akintola’s ruling was unequivocal—he ordered the party to continue with the convention. That is the only direct directive before the party, and that is what we complied with.”

Legal analysts point out that this interpretation aligns with long-standing Supreme Court precedent affirming party supremacy over internal leadership matters. The apex court has repeatedly stated that issues relating to conventions, membership, disciplinary actions, and internal administration fall within the exclusive domain of political parties unless a statute provides otherwise.

Sani further explained that the plaintiff’s application pending before the Oyo State High Court was extended through a November 14 order, keeping the court’s protective cover over the process. “Courts do not ordinarily overturn matters already concluded under valid subsisting orders. This convention is fully shielded by law,” he added.

The PDP’s reliance on the Oyo ruling is also reinforced by the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in PDP v. Ali Modu Sheriff (2017), which upheld the jurisdiction of State High Courts in intra-party leadership disputes. “The issues before Justice Akintola—membership rights, internal processes, disciplinary measures, and interpretation of the party constitution—squarely fall into that category,” he said.

“Operationally, the Ibadan convention was conducted in substantial compliance with the PDP constitution. Accreditation was concluded in 33 states, later joined by Taraba, alongside delegates from the FCT and Kebbi. Jigawa did not record accreditation, but the turnout surpassed the required two-thirds of 36 states plus the FCT. Disciplinary actions taken against Nyesom Wike and others,”Sani noted, “were undertaken in accordance with constitutional provisions empowering party organs to sanction erring members, except NEC members whose cases must be handled by NEC or the National Convention.”

In his concluding remarks to KTH Daily, Sani stressed:
“With judicial clarity guiding the process, and the party acting squarely within its constitution and the law, the Ibadan National Convention is legitimate, valid, and fully protected by the subsisting orders of a competent court. No conflicting ruling can upturn that reality.”