Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has described the order of the Oyo state High Court directing the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to go ahead to conduct the party’s National Convention as a ruse.
The minister who is among some PDP leaders opposed to the plan by the Umar Damagun-led National Working Committee, NWC, said there is a subsisting judgement of a federal high court in Abuja stopping the Convention from holding.
Wike’s reaction came from his Media aide, Lere Olayinka who was reacting to a question on whether the minister will attend the National Convention next week.
He sspoke few hours after the Oyo state high court presided by Justice Akintola, ordered Damagun, the National Chairman of the party to conduct the Convention as planned. The judge also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to monitor the National Convention slated for Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on November 15 and 16.
Recall that Justice James Omotosho, while ruling last Friday, on a suit filed by some aggrieved PDP members, who asked the court to stop the Convention, ordered the leadership of the party not to go ahead with the plan saying doing so will violate the Constitution. The judge also ordered the party to “put its house in order’ before it can go ahead with the convention, adding that INEC must also be given 21-day Notice before the event.
The suit was filed by three members of the party — Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The judge also restrained INEC from accepting or recognising the outcome of any national convention that is not conducted in accordance with due process, the law, and INEC’s own regulations.
According to Wike, Justice Omotosho’s judgment superseded the ruling of the Oyo court, which only granted an interlocutory injunction along with an ex parte application, to a motion filed by PDP olahan Malomo Adelabi, counsel to the PDP in respecet of the National Convention.
Olayinka said, “Are you unaware of the last Friday judgment of the Federal High Court? There was a judgment on Friday. Another court now gave an ex parte order! Do you know what an ex parte order means?
“It means it expires in seven days or at the highest 14 days. Is the High Court in Ibadan the appeal court? Is that an order you should obey? Is an order higher than a judgment?
“A court gave a judgment that INEC should not attend, you now went to Ibadan to get an order, an ex parte order. And you are asking whether the minister will attend?”
The magazine earlier reported that Justice Akintola in granting an ex parte application filed by Adelabi, ordered the leadership of the party to proceed with the delegate convention as planned until the motion on notice is heard.
Listed as defendants in the suit are PDP National Chairman, UmarDamagum, Chairman of the Convention Committee, and Adamawa state governor, Umar Fintiri, and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The PDP counsel had among other requests, prayed the court to restrain the defendants from preventing the National Convention from holding as earlier scheduled.
“An Order of Interim Injunction directing the 1st — 3rd Defendants, their officers, servants and or agents to hold, conduct and or convene the said elective national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party Scheduled for the 15th and 16th of November, 2025 at Ibadan pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice,” the court document reads.
“An Order of Interim Injunction compelling the defendants to hold, conduct and or convene the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party scheduled for the 15th and 16th November, 2025 at Ibadan to elect officers of the said Party at the National level pending the hearing and determination of Motion on Notice.
“An Order of Interim Injunction directing the 4th Defendant, its servants, agents, officers and or privies to attend, monitor and or observe the elective national convention of the 1″ Defendant scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State on the 15th and 16th November, 2025 pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. And for such order or further orders as the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”
After A. E. Okelue, counsel to Adelabi, moved the ex-parte application, Akintola granted all the prayers.
“Accordingly, this court finds merit in the claimant/Applicant’s motion ex-parte,” the judge ruled.
“The same succeeds and it is hereby ordered as prayed on the claimant/applicant’s motion Ex-parte dated 3rd November, 2025 and filed on the same date in this case.
“For avoidance of doubt, the interim orders of injunction sought are hereby granted as prayed pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for orders of interlocutory injunction already filed in this case.”
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