Court stops PDP convention over Lamido’s exclusion from chairmanship contest

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to go ahead with its national convention until a chairmanship nomination form is made available to former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido.

Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgement on Friday, November 14, 2025, held that the PDP, by its conduct, had breached the party’s guidelines and constitution.

Justice Lifu declared that a party is bound to obey its own constitution, saying the essence of this is to avoid illegality.

The judge said by Lamido’s averment before the court, the former governor said he was at the party’s national secretariat on October 27 to purchase the nomination form but was denied, even when the form would be closing 14 days to the national convention.

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He stated that from the exhibit tendered, the party’s consensus candidate was said to have stated that “how we got the form is immaterial” as long as the timetable for the nomination form had closed.

Justice Lifu held that from the tone of such statement, it showed that how the chairmanship nomination form was purchased was irregular and not transparent.

The judge therefore ordered the PDP to create opportunities for its members, including the plaintiff, to contest during the convention.

Justice Lifu, who ordered that the national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 be put on hold until Lamido is allowed to exercise his constitutional right, also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring, supervising or recognising the outcome of the convention until the party had done the needful.

The Star