The Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from proceeding with its national convention after ruling that the party unlawfully blocked former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido from obtaining the chairmanship nomination form.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order on Friday, directing the party to immediately make the form available and reopen the contest to all eligible members.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that the PDP violated both its constitution and internal guidelines by preventing Lamido from purchasing the form, even though the nomination window had not yet closed.
According to the judge, a political party must comply strictly with its own rules to ensure transparency, fairness and legality in its internal democratic processes.
The court noted that Lamido provided evidence showing that he visited the party’s national secretariat on October 27 to purchase the form but was denied access.
This denial, the judge said, amounted to an infringement of his constitutional right to participate in party leadership elections.
The judgment also highlighted statements attributed to the party’s consensus candidate, who allegedly remarked that “how we got the form is immaterial” as long as the sale had closed.
Justice Lifu described the tone of this statement as troubling, saying it pointed to irregular and non-transparent procurement of the nomination form, contrary to the party’s own procedures.
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As a result, the court ruled that the PDP must reopen the process to ensure a level playing field. It further ordered that the party’s national convention, scheduled for November 15 and 16, must be placed on hold until Lamido is allowed to fully exercise his rights.
In a significant addition, Justice Lifu restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from monitoring, supervising or recognising the outcome of any convention conducted without compliance with the order.
The court stressed that INEC’s involvement would only be valid when the party meets all required legal and constitutional standards.
The ruling has major implications for the PDP, which had been preparing for a critical convention expected to shape its leadership structure ahead of future elections.
The judicial intervention forces the party to revisit its internal processes and address complaints about transparency and inclusiveness.
With the judgment now in effect, the PDP leadership will be compelled to either restart or adjust the nomination process to ensure Lamido—and any other interested aspirant—can participate without obstruction.
Formal reactions from party leaders and stakeholders are expected as the implications of the ruling continue to unfold.
NAN
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