PDP Insists November 15–16 Ibadan Convention Will Hold Despite Court Order

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed that its national convention, scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, will go ahead as planned despite a recent court ruling suggesting otherwise.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary and Secretary of the 2025 National Convention Organising Publicity Sub-committee, Debo Ologunagba, described reports of postponement as false and politically motivated.

“The 2025 national convention of the PDP has not been postponed. It will proceed as scheduled on Saturday, November 15, and Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital,” Ologunagba said. He urged party members and the public to disregard what he called misinformation spread by individuals allegedly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise the opposition.

He accused the ruling party of attempting to create conditions for a one-party system, stressing that such efforts would be lawfully resisted. Ologunagba added that the National Convention Organising Committee was working round the clock to ensure a seamless event, confirming that delegates and stakeholders had already started arriving in Ibadan.

However, a faction of the PDP loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, earlier announced the suspension of the convention, citing a judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025. Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Muhammed, and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the court restrained the party from proceeding with the event pending the resolution of a leadership dispute.

According to them, the party filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal and decided to suspend the convention in obedience to the rule of law. “Having filed an appeal and in line with our duty to uphold the law, the PDP hereby suspends the Ibadan National Convention pending the decision of the Court of Appeal,” Muhammed said.

The conflicting positions stem from two court rulings — one from Abuja and another from Oyo State. While the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained the PDP from proceeding, a High Court in Oyo granted an ex parte order allowing the event to hold. The Oyo order has since been referenced by the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) as the legal basis for the convention’s continuation.

Senator Anyanwu, however, maintained that the Abuja ruling takes precedence, noting that matters involving national institutions fall under the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction. “The Abuja judgment takes precedence. The Oyo order is merely an ex parte order that lasts seven days. Before it was issued, we had already filed an appeal, which stays all actions until its outcome,” he said.

He also dismissed reports of his absence at a PDP BoT meeting where members reportedly endorsed the convention, arguing that he was not invited and that the gathering was not official. Anyanwu further disclosed that the PDP national secretariat in Abuja was temporarily closed after an alleged attempt by suspected thugs to attack the building.

“On November 1, I wrote to the Inspector-General of Police and the DSS after receiving intelligence about a planned attack. I was nearly assaulted when I arrived at the office, but the police intervened to protect the staff,” he said.

Despite the tension, both factions insist that the PDP remains united in its commitment to democracy, peace, and the rule of law. The Ibadan convention, expected to elect new national officers and reposition the party for the 2027 general elections, now stands as a major test of the opposition’s internal cohesion amid growing legal uncertainty.