Wike-backed PDP faction sues INEC, police, over ‘illegal convention’, takeover of party secretariat

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has filed a suit beforethe federal high court in Abuja seeking to stop the Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the national convention held inIbadan, the Oyo state capital, on November 15 and 16. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/25012025, the party, alongsideMohammed Abdulrahman, acting national chairman, and Samuel Anyanwu, nationalsecretary, is asking the court to declare the convention and all decisionstaken at the event as “null, void and of no effect”. The plaintiffs belong to the PDP loyal to Nyesom Wike,minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Anyanwu, Wike, Ayo Fayose, former Ekiti governor, and eightother party chieftains were expelled from the PDP during the convention in Ibadan. The plaintiffs are also seeking an order restrainingsecurity agencies and INEC from recognising the sixth to 25th defendants —including Umar Damagum, Kabiru Turaki, new national chairman, and otherprominent members — as PDP officials. In the originating summons, the plaintiffs argue that theIbadan convention was conducted in flagrant disregard of three subsistingjudgements of the federal high court. They referred to the judgement delivered on October 31 inFHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025: between Austine Nwachukwu v INEC & Ors; as well asthe interim order of November 11 and judgement of November 14 inFHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025 between Alhaji Sule Lamido v PDP & Ors. They also cited on the judgement delivered on May 31, 2023,in FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023: Nyesom Wike v PDP & Ors. The plaintiffs submitted that the various decisions hadnullified the 21-day notice issued for the national convention and hadexpressly restrained the party from conducting the exercise. They allege thatdespite the court rulings, the fifth to 25th defendants “organised themselvesand their cohorts” and convened a gathering in Ibadan where they purportedlyelected national officers and announced the suspension or expulsion of someprominent party members. ‘AN ATTEMPT TO FORCEFULLY TAKE OVER PDP SECRETARIAT’In an affidavit deposed to by Anyanwu, the PDP nationalsecretary said the group made an attempt on November 18 to “forcibly takecontrol” of the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza and Legacy Housein Abuja but was unsuccessful. He added that instead of enforcing the subsisting courtorders, the police and Department of State Services (DSS) “sealed up” thesecretariat and denied the legitimate officers of the party access to thebuildings. “The 2nd to 4th defendants have now sealed up the premisesof the 1st plaintiff and denied the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs access to theiroffices,” the affidavit reads. WHAT THE PLAINTIFFS WANTThe plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that INEC,the inspector-general of police, the FCT commissioner of police, and the DSSare constitutionally bound to enforce the earlier judgements and give fulleffect to their provisions. They also want an order restraining the defendants fromrecognising or giving effect to the Ibadan convention or any decisions madethere, as well as an order preventing the sixth to 25th defendants fromparading themselves as officials of the PDP. In addition, the plaintiffs want the court to direct thesecurity agencies to provide adequate protection for them and to grant themaccess to Wadata Plaza and Legacy House for the purpose of conducting theaffairs of the party. They further ask the court to restrain INEC from acceptingany change of address for the PDP other than the two existing officiallocations in Abuja. They are also seeking the court’s determination on whetherany authority or institution can lawfully recognise the Ibadan convention inview of the subsisting judgements and the provisions of the constitution, theElectoral Act, and the PDP constitution. The suit is yet to be assigned to a judge, and no date hasbeen fixed for the hearing.

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