Judiciary on trial over PDP cases, as opposing factions take conflicting actions

With just a few days to the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), slated for Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, from November 15, there is still pronounced confusion, as the party is now operating under two factional leaderships.

A faction under the control of Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, is led by Alhaji Muhammed Abdulrahman, while another faction controlled by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is led by the previous chairman, Ambassador Illiya Damagum. Both factions have issued conflicting instructions, leaving party members confused as to which one to follow.

As one party member told Business Hallmark, “Although both factions have their followers, the vulnerable members, who are genuinely concerned about the progress of the party and bothered about the power play going on, are confused and at the mercy of the two warring camps.”

However, political observers are of the opinion that the opposing parties have again brought the judiciary into disrepute to justify their actions, a situation they claim is dangerous for Nigeria’s democracy and the integrity of the judiciary. Observers also believe that by now, the judiciary ought to have grown beyond being used as a whipping boy to run errands for political parties that are distressed and unable to put their houses in order.

The PDP, which remains the oldest political party in Nigeria today, has been bedeviled with internal crises spanning over 10 years and has never been stable. It could even be said that, due to internal wranglings, the party has produced more chairmen and executives than any other political party.

Disagreement over 2027

The issue at hand, which is believed to be causing the ongoing crisis in the PDP, is centered on the presidency and the personal ambitions of individuals.

Although Makinde’s group announced and fixed the date for the controversial convention, there had been a series of unresolved issues involving two major principals, Makinde and Wike, who were formerly in the same camp. Personal ambitions appear to have split them, sending them in different directions and compounding the problems the party has faced over the years.

When Makinde’s group, led by Damagum and others, fixed the convention, Wike’s group, led by the party’s secretary, Senator Anyanwu, opposed it, alleging forgery of his signature and calling for harmonization before any such convention could be carried out. This was ignored.

This eventually led Wike’s faction to suspend Damagum, who had been accepted as Acting National Chairman, and form a parallel national executive, naming Alhaji Muhammed Abdulrahman as their chairman.

Without delay, the group approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the Ibadan convention, which had already been the subject of controversy. On October 31, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the convention should not hold until all requirements in the party’s constitution were fulfilled. A major part of these requirements is the election and composition of state executives, which Wike’s group argued had not been met.

Judiciary in the mud

In defiance of the Federal High Court’s order, the Makinde group went to the State High Court in Ibadan to validate the convention, into which they had poured significant energy and resources. The Oyo High Court ruled that the convention must go on and even compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to supervise it, as is mandatory, to produce the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

However, Wike’s group opposed that ruling, calling for disciplinary action against Justice A.L. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court by the NJC, arguing that it cannot act as an appellate court over the Federal High Court.

One major stakeholder of Wike’s group, Chief Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State, said, “The judge only granted an ineffective order that is dead on arrival. It is an order no one, including INEC, can obey. Even the most unintelligent human being in Nigeria will know that a State High Court cannot act as an appellate court over the Federal High Court.”

He further argued that the Ibadan High Court order, made after that of the Federal High Court in Abuja, was influenced by “the master” and shows the desperation of those waiting to give the PDP a final burial.

“How do you go to a State High Court to get an ex parte order asking INEC to monitor a national convention on which a Federal High Court ruled five days ago?” Fayose asked.

He added that “desperation has affected their sense. If not, they wouldn’t go to a State High Court to obtain an order on a matter already decided by a Federal High Court. Unfortunately, the PDP has been rescued from their hands and is now in intensive care, being looked after by the new Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman. I am hopeful the party will survive under Abdulrahman and start the process of healing from the injuries it suffered from the vampires the Ibadan elements represent.”

The former Director Legal of INEC, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, who also served as Attorney General of Edo State, pointed out that the conflicting court orders are creating confusion. He warned INEC to tread cautiously, as obeying one order while disobeying another could expose the Commission to contempt.

“Conflicting rulings by courts of coordinate jurisdiction create confusion and undermine the judicial process. It leads to uncertainty when a High Court in Oyo may claim it isn’t bound by a Federal High Court ruling, even if aware of it. Each court decides based on the facts and issues before it,” he said, urging the judiciary to address the recurring problem of conflicting judgments, which embarrasses the legal system and burdens institutions like INEC.

Calls for reconciliation

Former governor of the old Anambra State (1979–1983), Chief Jim Nwobodo, a founding PDP member and member of the newly inaugurated PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), expressed support for Wike, describing his influence as vital for party unity.

Wike, however, accused Makinde of causing disunity due to his presidential ambition, insisting he had not betrayed Makinde or tried to truncate his ambition to run for president under the PDP platform. “I told him, ‘Seyi, the way you are going, you will destroy the party. It will not help us. You are my friend, you are my brother, melembe, melembe. Calm down, take it easy,’” Wike said.

The Acting National Chairman on Wike’s side, Alhaji Abdulrahman Muhammad, vowed to end “impunity, manipulation, or disregard” for the party constitution. Muhammad, former National Vice Chairman (North Central), assumed office following the suspension of former National Chairman Alhaji Umar Damagum by Senator Sam Anyanwu, who announced Muhammad as Acting Chairman.

Muhammad said, “The PDP was not just another political organization when it was founded; it was a national movement—a coalition of dreams built on the belief that democracy must unite rather than divide, build rather than break, and serve rather than dominate. We have faced storms that tested our foundation, including internal challenges, leadership disputes, and decisions that drifted us away from the principles that once held us together.”

He added that the previous BoT, led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, “lost the moral balance expected of that noble institution. His suspension by the Abia State Chapter over anti-party activities was necessary, as the credibility of that leadership became heavily questioned and its continued role in national advisory matters untenable.”

Meanwhile, the Acting Chairman in Makinde’s group, Gov. Umaru Fintiri, reiterated that the November 15–16 convention will proceed, regardless of objections.