The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the nullification of its November 2025 national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A five-member panel led by Justice Garba Mohammed announced on Wednesday that a date for the judgment would be communicated to all parties after counsel adopted their final written arguments for and against the appeal.
The appeal stems from a decision of the Court of Appeal, which voided the PDP convention on the grounds that it was conducted in defiance of a valid court order. The ruling followed an earlier judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Peter Lifu restrained the party’s National Executive Committee, led at the time by Iliya Damagum, from holding the convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025.
Justice Lifu had also directed that Sule Lamido be allowed to obtain nomination forms and participate in the process of electing national officers.
Despite the court order, the PDP proceeded with the convention, maintaining that the matter was an internal party affair beyond the jurisdiction of the court. However, the appellate court rejected that argument, ruling that the issues raised went beyond internal party matters and consequently invalidated the convention and its outcomes.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, a faction within the PDP approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal decisions. The appellants urged the apex court to declare that the lower courts lacked jurisdiction and to uphold the validity of the convention.
Counsel to the respondents, however, asked the court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that it lacked merit and that the PDP acted in clear violation of a subsisting court order.
The Supreme Court’s forthcoming judgment is expected to provide final clarity on the legality of the convention and could have significant implications for the PDP’s internal leadership structure and future political activities.
