The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed a judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

In a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel led by Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the PDP led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, SAN. The faction had challenged the jurisdiction of the lower court to entertain the case.

The appeal was one of nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led group against the October 31, 2025 judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja, which barred INEC from validating the outcome of the PDP’s November 15 and 16, 2025 national convention in Ibadan.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeal held that the Federal High Court had the jurisdiction to hear the matter, rejecting the argument that the dispute was purely an internal party affair. According to the court, the appellants could not “repackage a clear violation of the party constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an internal party matter.”

Justice Onyemenam also ruled that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional and statutory provisions required before conducting a valid national convention. The court noted that the party did not serve a valid notice of the convention on INEC as required by law and failed to conduct valid congresses in more than 14 states before convening the convention.

The appellate court stressed that compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and party guidelines is essential for democratic governance and must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy.

Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.

In his earlier ruling, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the convention until the party complied with relevant legal provisions. He held that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21-day notice required to enable INEC to monitor its meetings and congresses.

The trial judge also ruled that notices and correspondence issued by the party’s National Chairman without the endorsement of the National Secretary were invalid.

The suit was filed by three aggrieved PDP members — Austin Nwachukwu, Imo State PDP chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia State PDP chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, PDP South-South secretary.

They had asked the court to stop the convention where new national officers of the party were expected to be elected.

Those listed as defendants in the suit include INEC, the PDP, the party’s National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Baturrle, the PDP National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, Acting National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum, as well as Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.