•Party’s BoT wades into leadership crisis, youth leaders pledge support for new chair 

•Damagum, other NWC members write electoral body, IGP

Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

A High Court of Oyo State, sitting in Ibadan, has given Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the go-ahead to hold its planned National Convention slated for November 15 and 16, in the state.

Justice A. L. Akintola gave the approval on Monday while ruling in an ex-parte application brought by a member of PDP in Oyo State, Mr. Folahan Adelabi.

The court also ordered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend and monitor the national convention for the election of new national officers of the party.

The tenure of the current leadership of PDP under Ambassador Iliya Damagun comes to an end next month.

The order came barely 72 hours after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja had given a contrary order to INEC.

Omotosho ordered INEC not to participate or give recognition to the outcome of the Ibadan convention of PDP.

However, ruling in the ex-parte motion on Monday, Akintola restrained the defendants in the suit, marked: I / 1336/2025, from acting in any manner whatsoever that would truncate or frustrate “the Guidelines, Timetable and Schedule of Activity and/or disrupting, preventing and or stopping the conduct of the Scheduled National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fixed for November 15 and 16, 2025 at Ibadan to elect officers of the said party at national, pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice.”

The judge issued the interim injunction against the defendants, which included PDP, its National Chairman (for himself and the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party), Rt. Hon. Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri (for himself and members of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee), and INEC as first to fourth defendant, respectively.

The judge said he was mindful to grant the reliefs sought, after “reading the motion ex-parte and affidavit in support deposed to by Folahan Malomo Adelabi and after hearing A. E. Okelue, counsel for the claimant/applicant…”

The plaintiff, who claimed to be aspiring for the position of Deputy National Organising Secretary, had dragged the defendants before the court, seeking an order compelling PDP to conduct the elective national convention as scheduled.

He predicated his case on the grounds that the party had met the statutory requirements for the conduct of the national convention.

Among the reliefs sought was “An order of Interim Injunction directing the 1st to 3rd defendants to adhere to and honour the provisions of the aforesaid Guidelines, timetable and Schedule of Activities for the conduct of the National Convention pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

Delivering the ruling, the judge held, “Having carefully considered the claimants/applicant’s motion ex-parte together with the affidavit in support as well as the written address of counsel, this court is satisfied that the claimant/applicant has successfully made out a case for the urgent intervention of this court at this stage.

“As a demonstration of sincerity and transparency, the claimant/applicant has also caused to be filed the motion on notice for orders of interlocutory injunctions in this case.

“Accordingly, this court finds merit in the claimant/ applicant’s motion ex-parte. The same succeeds and it’s hereby ordered as prayed on the claimant/ applicant’s motion ex-parte dated November 3, 2025 and filed on the same date in this case.”

A Certified True Copy (CTC) of the enrolled order of the court signed by Mrs. S. O. Hammed and sighted by THISDAY stated that the court, in addition, clarified that “the interim orders of injunction sought are hereby granted as prayed pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for orders of Interlocutory Injunctions already filed in this case.”

Consequently, the court ordered the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC), and National Convention Organising Committee to “honour the provision of the aforesaid Guidelines, Timetable and Schedule Activities for the conduct of the PDP National Convention pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

The court also ordered INEC, as fourth defendant, “its servants, agents, officers, and or privies to attend, monitor and or observe the Elective National Convention of the 1st Defendants scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State on the 15th and 16th of November 2025, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

THISDAY learnt that PDP, its National Convention Organising Committee, and INEC had already been served with the court order.

Meanwhile, hearing in the substantive case was fixed for November 10.

PDP Petitions IGP over Alleged Takeover of Secretariat

In another development, PDP petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), calling for an investigation into what it described as a violent invasion of its National Secretariat in Abuja by suspended party officials and their supporters.

The party said the incident, which reportedly left several staff members injured, was led by the suspended national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and aided by some security operatives.

A copy of the petition obtained by THISDAY last night was signed by Damagum.

It explained that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), at its 608th meeting, had earlier suspended four national officers, including Anyanwu, over alleged anti-party activities and referred them to the disciplinary committee.

According to the petition, the invasion occurred on Monday, November 3, 2025.

It stated, “The suspended National Secretary allegedly led a group of supporters to the National Secretariat, forced their way into offices, and disrupted official activities.

“The thugs broke into offices, unleashed violence, attacked staff, fired tear gas, wounded our staff, assaulted journalists, and disrupted activities in our National Secretariat.”

The petition also claimed that a female staff, who inhaled tear gas during the commotion, fainted and was later revived, while three others – Mr. Terna Tergba, Mrs. Cecilia Ukwayi, and Mr. Innocent Ezekiel – sustained injuries and were receiving treatment.

“The intruders attempted to install a member of the National Working Committee as acting National Chairman,” the party further alleged, describing the incident as a dangerous precedent for internal democracy.

It said, “The role of the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, regarding this incident should be properly examined. On whose instruction did he deploy security personnel to the National Secretariat of a political party without notifying the National Chairman?

“The Inspector General may, please, note that our country is currently under the scope of the international community, and this unwarranted assault on the opposition party and its staff, which is a clear threat to democracy in Nigeria, further aggravates a very tense situation.”

PDP BoT Wades into Leadership Crisis

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP has announced its resolve to wade into the leadership tussle in the party.

The embattled national chairman, Ambassador Illya Damagum, and other members of the party had also written to the INEC, intimating it of the suspension of National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamadueem Ajibade; National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; and Deputy National Legal Adviser, Osuoha Osueke.

In a letter dated November 4, 2025, signed by the NWC members, the party notified INEC of the officials’ suspension.

The Anyanwu faction of NWC of PDP had on Monday, November 3, written a similar letter to INEC, informing it of the suspension of some members of the NWC.

However, in a notice summoning a BoT meeting, Chinwe I. Nnorom, National Director of Publicity, said, “This is to officially invite you for coverage of the PDP BoT meeting as directed by its chairman, Most Distinguished Senator Adolphus Wabara, to hold as follows:

“Date: Wednesday, 5th of November, 2025 (tomorrow) Venue: NEC Hall, PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. Time: 11:00 Am

“The main item on the agenda is the suspension and counter suspension of members of the NWC.”

However, PDP youth leaders in the North-central zone, yesterday, congratulated and supported the zonal chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Muhammed, over his appointment as acting National Chairman of PDP consequent upon the suspension of Damagun

They pledged their support for Muhammed, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and the founding fathers of the party for saving the opposition party.

A communique signed by Jamliu Ali, PDP Youth Forum’s chairman and Gombe youth leader, called on all party members to “close all ranks, sit down on the table and resolve all matters facing the PDP so that they would be able to submit one position since the people of Nigeria rellied on PDP and its leaders”.

At the same time, the North-central zone, at a meeting, disassociated itself from Mohammed as the national chairman and subsequently passed a vote of no confidence on him.

The delegates that walked out claimed that they could not be asked to sign an already prepared communique without any input.

Led by Alhassan Dangana, from Niger State, the delegates shouted on top of their voices, saying, “We are not robots, you cannot force a communique on us without any input.”

The PDP woman leader in the North-central zone also stormed out of the meeting, insisting that a communique that they knew nothing about would not be forced on them.

The communique read by Hon. Francis O. Orogu, PDP North Central Secretary, said they found the assumption of office of Mohammed as acting national chairman not in accordance with the PDP constitution.

It said more disturbing was that “government institutions are used to perpetual or encourage crime! this is unbecoming of a civilised democratic society”.

Relatedly, PDP National Ex-Officio Forum condemned Monday’s invasion of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja by loyalists of the suspended national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, describing it as a display of political lawlessness and a direct assault on internal democracy.

In a communiqué by its Chairman, Clement Faboyede, and Secretary, Mrs. Hassan Comfort, the forum said the incident at Wadata Plaza amounted to “a violation of the party’s constitution and an attempt to desecrate the sanctity of an institution built on decades of sacrifice, vision, and democratic commitment”.

It added, “Those behind this inglorious plot have only succeeded in exposing their disdain for order and their contempt for the collective will of millions of PDP faithful nationwide.”

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