The Wike led group in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has once again triumphed over the rest of the party as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the umbrella Party from going ahead with its planned national convention scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16.
Delivering judgment on the suit brought by Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alaboh George (PDP Secretary, South-South, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, against the party, Justice James Omotosho, upheld that PDP failed to comply with provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as well as its own Constitution.
Justice Omotosho accepted that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses before it moved to hold the convention to elect its national officers and directed the Party to go back and put its house in order, and equally send the statutory 21-day notice before it could proceed with the proposed convention.
The court dismissed preliminary objections filed by the defendants challenging its jurisdiction to meddle in what they insisted was an internal affair of a political party.
According to the Court, the subject matter of the suit does not fall under internal party affairs but pertains to the duty of the party to comply with the law and its constitution in all its actions and decisions.
On the Status of Ali Odefa, the Court noted that Mr. Ali Odefa, having been expelled from the party, cannot function or parade himself as the South East Zonal Chairman or as an officer of the party in any capacity.
The Court there held that Mr. Odefa has no legal standing to be joined as a party in the case given his expulsion from the party.
Though some analysts say the ruling underscores the supremacy of the law and the party’s constitution in guiding internal processes, affirming that no individual or group is above these provisions, the faction led by the Governors of the party is expected to appeal the outcome
