The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday upheld the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court that barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The convention took place between November 15 and November 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
The appellate court delivered the judgment while ruling on an appeal filed against the decision of the Federal High Court. The three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam ruled that the lower court acted within its powers when it restrained the electoral commission from accepting the result of the convention.
The court held that the PDP did not meet the legal conditions required before conducting such a national convention. According to the judgment, the party failed to serve a valid notice of the convention to the Independent National Electoral Commission as required by law.
The court also found that proper congresses were not conducted in more than fourteen states of the federation before the convention was organised.
Based on these findings, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to hear the matter and issue the order preventing the electoral body from recognising the outcome of the convention.
The court explained that the case brought by members of the party was not simply an internal dispute but involved the enforcement of legal duties expected from the electoral commission in monitoring political party activities.
The ruling affirmed the earlier judgment delivered on October 31, 2025, by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja. In that decision, the trial judge ordered the electoral commission not to receive, publish or recognise the outcome of the PDP convention held in Ibadan until the party complied with the relevant legal provisions guiding such gatherings.
Justice Omotosho had based his decision on evidence showing that the PDP failed to follow several requirements set out in the law before holding the convention. The court found that congresses were not conducted in some states across the country, which violated the rules guiding the process.
The judge also ruled that notices and official communications issued by the party’s National Chairman without the endorsement of the National Secretary were not valid.
The Federal High Court further held that the party did not provide the mandatory twenty-one day notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission before holding meetings and congresses. The law requires political parties to give such notice so the electoral body can monitor their activities.
The judge concluded that the failure to follow these procedures created problems for the planned convention and advised the party to correct the issues before proceeding with the election of its national officers.
He therefore ordered that the electoral commission should not recognise the outcome of the convention until the PDP complied with all legal requirements.
The case was filed by three members of the party who challenged the convention.
They include Austin Nwachukwu, the chairman of the PDP in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, the chairman of the party in Abia State; and Turnah Alabh George, the party’s South-South secretary.
The suit was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja through their lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joseph Daudu.
The plaintiffs asked the court to stop the national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, where new national officers of the party were expected to be elected.
Those listed as defendants in the case include the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Peoples Democratic Party, the party’s National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, the National Organising Secretary Umar Baturrle, members of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, the acting National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum, as well as Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
With the ruling of the Court of Appeal, the earlier order stopping the recognition of the outcome of the convention remains in place until the party complies with the legal provisions governing political party conventions in Nigeria.