The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned till Thursday the hearing of a suit seeking to stop the planned national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following a heated dispute over who is authorised to represent the party in court.
Justice James Omotosho gave the ruling after two Senior Advocates of Nigeria Chris Uche and Kamaldeen Ajibade both claimed to appear for the PDP in the case.
The suit, filed by three PDP officials Austin Nwachukwu (Imo Chairman), Amah Nnanna (Abia Chairman), and Turnah George (South-South Zonal Secretary) seeks to restrain the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from proceeding with the convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The plaintiffs allege that the planned convention violates the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, claiming they were sidelined through illegal processes.
Tension flared in court when Uche said he was instructed by the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to represent the party, while Ajibade argued that only the National Legal Adviser has the constitutional authority to brief external counsel. The disagreement forced the judge to order a brief recess for both sides to reconcile, but no resolution was reached.
Afterward, Justice Omotosho granted separate motions to join Damagum, Ali Odefa, and Emmanuel Ogidi as defendants in the case and directed all parties to file responses within 24 hours.
The judge warned against further delays, emphasising that “judicial processes should not be made nugatory,” before adjourning the case to October 16 for the hearing of the substantive suit and all pending applications.
