PDP Drags INEC to Court Over Ibadan Convention Recognition

The Peoples Democratic Party has taken legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State. The suit was filed by a faction linked to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and seeks to stop the recognition of the convention and all decisions made there.

The plaintiffs asked the court to declare the convention invalid and without legal effect. They also want the court to prevent INEC, the police, and other security agencies from recognising Umar Damagum, Kabiru Turaki, the newly elected national chairman, and other officials that emerged from the gathering.

During the Ibadan convention, several top party members, including Samuel Anyanwu, Nyesom Wike, and former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, were expelled. The faction that filed the suit claimed that the convention was organised in spite of three earlier Federal High Court rulings that restrained the party from holding the event.

They referred to past judgments and interim orders, stating that the 21-day notice issued for the convention had been cancelled by the court. They argued that despite these legal restrictions, a group within the party went ahead to organise the convention, elect officers, and announce suspensions and expulsions.

The plaintiffs also claimed that there was an attempt by the opposing faction to take control of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on 18 November, but it failed. They accused the police and the Department of State Services of sealing the party offices instead of enforcing the court rulings, which they said blocked the legitimate officers from accessing the premises.

In their requests to the court, they asked for an order to stop all parties from recognising the Ibadan convention or acting on its decisions. They also want security agencies to protect them and restore their access to the party’s offices at Wadata Plaza and Legacy House in Abuja. In addition, they asked the court to prevent INEC from accepting any change of address for the party outside the two existing Abuja locations.

The case has not yet been assigned to a judge, and no hearing date has been fixed.