Ibadan / Abuja, Nigeria — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was notably absent from the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national convention over the weekend, following a federal court order that restrained the electoral body from overseeing or recognising the outcome of the event.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, ruled that the PDP failed to meet key legal requirements for holding a valid national convention. Among the infractions cited by the court were:
Failure to hold congresses in some states, as required by party and electoral law.
The signing of notices and correspondence by the party’s national chairman without the national secretary, undermining legitimacy.
The PDP also neglected to issue a mandatory 21-day notice of its state congresses, thus denying INEC the opportunity to perform its legal duty of supervision.
On this basis, Justice Omotosho restrained INEC from “receiving, publishing or recognising” any outcome of the convention until PDP rectified these procedural lapses.
Further complicating matters, another ruling from Justice Peter Lifu reinforced these restrictions. In his November 11 judgment, he barred INEC from supervising, monitoring, or recognizing the convention, citing PDP’s failure to make nomination forms available to a key aspirant, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, and other procedural irregularities.
Justice Lifu also suspended the convention, ordering that Lamido be allowed access to the nomination form so he could mount a campaign, effectively pausing the exercise until due process is followed.
Earlier, a High Court in Oyo State ruled differently, granting PDP the go-ahead to hold the convention and directing INEC to monitor. However, the conflicting rulings have created a legally fractured landscape, leaving INEC legally bound by the Abuja court orders.
PDP, for its part, has expressed its intention to proceed with the convention. According to the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the court order does not invalidate their preparations — a stance that pits the party’s internal calendar against the federal court’s enforcement of electoral and party law.
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Clarion NewsChannel will continue to follow this story closely. We’ll bring you updates as the legal drama unfolds — including whether INEC will recognise any part of the convention, and how PDP responds to the court’s demands.
INEC Barred by Court from Monitoring PDP National Convention
