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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday scheduled October 31 for the delivery of judgment in a suit seeking to halt the proposed convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice James Omotosho fixed the date after hearing both parties, as counsel for the plaintiffs and the defendants adopted their written submissions and presented oral arguments for and against the case.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the plaintiffs — Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South) — jointly filed the suit.
They listed as defendants the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, the National Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, the National Organising Secretary, the National Working Committee (NWC), and the National Executive Committee (NEC) as the 1st to 6th defendants.
Also joined in the case were Umar Damagum, the PDP National Chairman; Ali Odefa; and Emmanuel Ogidi, named as the 7th, 8th, and 9th defendants respectively.
The plaintiffs brought the action before the court to restrain the party from holding its planned National Convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, where new national officers are to be elected.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Justice Omotosho emphasised that his previous order directing all parties to maintain the status quo regarding the planned convention must be strictly observed and not breached by any side.
Joseph Daudu, SAN, counsel for the plaintiffs, urged the court not to dismiss the matter as an internal dispute within the party but to recognise it as a step towards ensuring compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act, 2022, and the PDP Constitution.
The senior advocate contended that the Nigerian Constitution requires the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to supervise political party congresses for them to be valid.
He further argued that the grievances of the three plaintiffs stemmed from the fact that no legitimate congresses were conducted in 14 states before the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) issued notices for the November 16 and 17 convention.
However, the party’s National Chairman, Mr Damagum, represented by Paul Erokoro, SAN, urged the court to decline jurisdiction, arguing that issues relating to congresses and conventions are purely internal matters of the party.
Similarly, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, representing the NWC and NEC of the PDP, agreed with Erokoro’s argument that the courts lack jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties.
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