The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Forum of State Chairmen have rejected the Oyo State Federal High Court judgement which nullified last year’s national convention of the party.
The duo, in separate statements over the weekend, said the judgment is technically defective as the fundamental issues in the matter are already before the Court of Appeal.
PDP BoT, in a statement by the Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, expressed concern that the court declined the order of mandamus sought by the party because such would amount to sitting on appeal over the judgments of courts of coordinate jurisdiction, but still went ahead to grant reliefs that were not prayed for by any of the parties in the case.
The former President of the Senate added that since PDP has already filed an appeal and a Motion for Stay of Execution, it has put “the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan in abeyance and retains the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee, which was duly elected at the Ibadan Convention, legally and firmly on the saddle.”
He assured PDP members that “the Turaki-led NWC is securely in place and there is no cause for alarm.”
Wabara reaffirmed BoT’s commitment and support for the Turaki-led NWC in its efforts to stabilise and strengthen the party on the path to victory ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Forum of State Chairmen, in a statement by its Chairman and Secretary, Tony Aziegbemi and Chief Edward Masha respectively, said the judgment is in conflict with subsisting judgments and orders of courts of coordinate jurisdiction on the same subject matter.
“It is therefore reassuring that the party has already exercised its constitutional right of appeal and filed the appropriate motions for stay of execution, in line with established legal principles and democratic norms,” the forum stated.
The statement added that the judgment represents only one step in an ongoing judicial process, especially as the substantive issues are already before the Court of Appeal for determination.
The forum affirmed support for the NWC produced at the national convention in Ibadan, and called on PDP supporters to remain focused and united.
“There is no vacuum in the leadership of our party, and there is absolutely no cause for panic,” it added, and expressed confidence that PDP would overcome its challenges.
“What we are witnessing is merely one of the judicial turns in our democratic journey — not the destination itself,” the forum stated.
