Anyanwu-led PDP faction appeals court ruling, petitions INEC over Ibadan convention

…rejects BoT reconciliation moves

The Samuel Anyanwu-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday announced that it has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court, seeking further interpretation of the ruling.

Recall that Justice Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had last Friday delivered a judgment halting the party’s national convention slated for Ibadan.

The party later secured another judgment in Ibadan, which granted it the power to hold the convention.

However, the Anyanwu group declared that the judgment of the Federal High Court supersedes the ex parte order given by the Oyo State High Court, which granted the PDP an interim order to conduct its elective national convention on November 15 and 16.

Abdulrahman Muhammed, acting national chairman of the faction, while speaking with journalists in Abuja, said the group had filed an appeal.

The group also declared that it had filed a petition before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requesting that the commission not monitor the Ibadan convention.

According to him “The National Leadership of the PDP, under my humble leadership as Acting National Chairman. Abdulrahman Muhammed, in collaboration with our National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, hereby formally informs the Nigerian public that we have received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by Honourable Justice Omotosho in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025.

*In strict adherence to due process and our commitment to fairness, we have filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal to seek further judicial clarification and interpretation in the overall interest of our party, our members and Nigerian democracy.

“As a responsible, law-abiding, and democratic institution, the PDP remains unwavering in its commitment to the rule of law, constitutional governance, and internal party democracy. Our actions will continue to be guided by legal advice, by respect for our members, and by our duty to protect the integrity of our party.

“In line with our responsibility to uphold the rule of law in the PDP, we hereby suspends and cancels the proposed Ibadan National Convention pending the decision of the Court of Appeal.

The group said “Any continuation with the proposed convention at this time would amount to a violation of the rule of law and shall not be condoned.

“The lndependent National Electoral Commission was a party to the suit and is fully aware of the judgement of the Federal High Court. Nevertheless, we have dimmed it necessary to formally communicate our position to the commission. Accordingly, we have notified INEC to suspend the National Convention in strict compliance with the directive contained in the judgement.

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“We are also aware of an ex parte order recently issued by a High Court in Oyo State. While we await the Certified True Copy CTC of the said order, we reiterate that an ex parte order cannot override a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court. We shall continue to act only in accordance with valid judicial authority and the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Speaking on the reconciliation move by members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Samuel Anyanwu said his group was not invited to the meeting.

“I was not invited to such a meeting. That meeting is one-sided. As we speak, we have invited Board of Trustees to a meeting.

“Most of those people you see today are not members of the Board of Trustees. Some of them were just newly recruited. And they have not been confirmed by the party.”

He described it as “a meeting of friends and associates compared to the Board of Trustees.

“What makes a nuclear family is father, mother, and children. So, if you have founding fathers, we are a founding children. So, we are all members of PDP.

“I’m a member of the Board of Trustees. I’m a member of NEC by my position as the National Secretary of this party. And I’m the custodian of the secretariat of PDP.

“As we speak, the certificate of PDP is with me. So, I don’t see any founding father that would do anything without me being present in that meeting. That meeting is a nullity,” he added.