…As PDP hails judgment as ‘victory for democracy’ 

…Petitions IGP over Abuja Secretariat attack 

…Fayose, Wike’s aide condemn ruling

By Sodiq Adelakun and Mathew Denis

A ruling by the Oyo State High Court permitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to proceed with its national convention in Ibadan has ignited strong reactions across party ranks, revealing renewed tensions within the opposition party as it braces for the 2027 general elections.

Presiding over the matter, Justice A. L. Akintola on Monday directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor the elective convention scheduled for 15 and 16 November 2025, and authorised the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), chaired by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, to continue preparations without interference.

Responding to the judgment on Tuesday at the PDP Secretariat in Molete, Ibadan, the Oyo State Chairman of the PDP, Mr Dayo Ogunbenro, described the decision as a morale booster for members nationwide.

He said: “I am the state chairman of the party; do you expect me to be sad about that judgment? I’m happy, and the teeming supporters of the PDP in Oyo State are happy. We were in a meeting of the state working committee when His Excellency called to share the news. By the special grace of God, the convention will go on as planned.”

Ogunbenro noted that politics often revolves around competing interests and that internal disagreements could still be resolved after the convention.

“Politics is about interest. At times you lose; at times you win. There will always be contentions. But after the convention, if there’s anything to mediate upon, we’ll do so. Even after the convention, life will continue in the PDP,” he said.

He reaffirmed the PDP’s position as the strongest opposition party in Nigeria and expressed confidence that Nigerians were eager for its return to power in 2027.

The State Publicity Secretary, Mr Michael Ogunshina, also said the court ruling had renewed confidence among members and delegates across the country.

“When the unfortunate news broke last week that the convention had been suspended by a court, it was a major concern for us. Therefore, we are delighted that another competent court has now given the green light,” Ogunshina said.

He explained that the order originated from an ex parte motion filed by an aspirant and that the substantive hearing was fixed for 10 November, allowing the party to continue with its arrangements.

“Governor Seyi Makinde has often said, and I echo his words, that the 2027 election will not simply be between the PDP and the APC; it will be between Nigerians and the APC,” Ogunshina remarked.

However, former Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, criticised the court decision, describing it as “an Ibadan judicial and political awada kerikeri of a hand-to-mouth judge.”

He asserted that the ruling was “ineffective and dead on arrival,” arguing that “no law-abiding institution could recognise such an order.”

According to Fayose, “Even the most unintelligent human being in Nigeria will know that a State High Court cannot act as an Appellate Court over the Federal High Court.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the former governor insisted that the order granted by Justice Akintola lacked legal merit.

He said: “The judge only granted an ineffective order that is dead on arrival. It is an order no one, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), can obey.”

Fayose appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to discipline Justice Akintola for issuing the order despite being aware of the 31 October 2025 judgment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which restrained any interference in the PDP’s convention.

“The order is another show of desperation by those who have become undertakers waiting at the graveside to give the PDP a final burial,” he said.

“How do you go to a State High Court to get an ex parte order asking INEC to monitor a national convention on which a Federal High Court ruled five days ago that it should not monitor?” Fayose questioned.

He added that “desperation appears to have clouded their sense of judgment; otherwise, they would not approach a State High Court to obtain an order on a matter already decided by a Federal High Court.”

Despite his criticism, Fayose expressed cautious optimism that the PDP could still recover under its new Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman, describing the party as “in intensive care, being tended by the new chairman.”

“I am hopeful that the party will survive under Abdulrahman and begin the crucial process of healing from the injuries it suffered from the vampires, which the Ibadan elements represent,” he said.

Also reacting, Mr Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, ridiculed the Oyo High Court ruling on social media.

“Oyo State High Court is now an Appellate Court over Federal High Court. I be dey think say dem get small sense before… I was wrong,” he wrote.

The remarks from Fayose and Olayinka have deepened existing divisions between the Wike and Makinde factions of the PDP, both of which control rival blocs within the party.

Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing in Oyo State as the PDP confirmed plans to host thousands of delegates and stakeholders nationwide for what it described as a “historic and unifying” national convention in Ibadan.

The PDP has also lodged a formal petition with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over what it described as a violent invasion and assault on staff at its National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday, 3 November 2025.

According to the petition, the party alleged that the attack was orchestrated by the suspended National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the suspended Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barrister Okechukwu Osuoha, with the assistance of thugs allegedly mobilised by Anyanwu’s aides and supported by the FCT Police Commissioner.

The document, stamped “Received” by the IGP’s office on the day of the incident, detailed that: “Thugs led by Anyanwu’s aides, including Arthur Bruno, Emmanuel Okoronkwo, and Chidiebere Egwu, allegedly brandished dangerous weapons such as guns, knives, cutlasses, and sticks.

“The attackers were said to have broken into offices, unleashed violence, fired tear gas, and assaulted staff and journalists.

“A female staff member reportedly fainted from tear gas inhalation and later had to be resuscitated.

“The group allegedly forced entry into the office of the National Chairman and attempted to install the suspended Deputy National Legal Adviser, Mohammed Abdulrahman, as acting National Chairman.”

The PDP said three staff members, Mr Terna Tergba, Mrs Cecilia Ukwayi, and Mr Innocent Ezekiel, were hospitalised with injuries sustained during the attack.

The party questioned the conduct of security agencies during the incident, singling out the FCT Police Commissioner as a figure whose role must be scrutinised.

The petition alleged that the thugs, led by Emmanuel Okoronkwo, openly boasted of having “the backing of the FCT Minister” and claimed that “the Police and Security Agencies cannot do anything to them.”

The PDP further stated that Senator Anyanwu was overheard speaking with the FCT Commissioner of Police, who allegedly assured him that “the CP and the FCT Minister are with them.” The party argued that the police’s failure to immediately disperse the attackers lends credence to this claim.

Represented by its National Chairman, His Excellency Ambassador Umár Ilíya Damagum, the PDP stated that the “unprovoked assault on the opposition party and its staff, which constitutes a clear threat to democracy in Nigeria, further intensifies an already volatile situation.”

The party is calling on the police to hold the FCT Minister, the FCT Police Commissioner, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and Mohammed Abdulrahman “directly responsible for this breach of peace in the FCT, assault on innocent citizens, and disruption of lawful political activity.” It added that “extensive photographic and video evidence” had been provided to the IGP in support of its claims.