BREAKING NEWS: PDP in Turmoil — Acting Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed Halts Ibadan National Convention After Court Ruling

In a dramatic twist that has thrown Nigeria’s main opposition party into fresh uncertainty, the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, has cancelled the much-anticipated national convention earlier scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Mohammed, flanked by the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and key members of the National Working Committee (NWC), announced the suspension during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, citing legal and constitutional reasons.

According to the PDP helmsman, the decision followed the receipt of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a recent judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, which had implications for the convention’s legality.

> “The National Leadership of the PDP, under my humble leadership as Acting National Chairman, in collaboration with our National Secretary, hereby informs the Nigerian public that we have received the Certified True Copy of the recent Federal High Court judgment,” Mohammed stated.

He disclosed that the party’s National Legal Adviser, Ajibade K.A. (SAN), had already rendered a comprehensive legal opinion on the matter. Acting on that counsel, the PDP leadership has filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, seeking “further judicial clarification and interpretation in the overall interest of the party, its members, and Nigerian democracy.”

> “Consequently, and in line with our unwavering commitment to the rule of law, the PDP hereby suspends and cancels the proposed Ibadan National Convention pending the decision of the Court of Appeal. Proceeding with the event now would amount to a violation of judicial directives and will not be condoned,” Mohammed emphasized.

He further noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was a party to the suit, had been formally notified of the party’s decision to suspend the convention in strict compliance with the judgment’s provisions.

Addressing reports of a separate ex parte order allegedly issued by a High Court in Oyo State, Mohammed clarified that the party was yet to receive the Certified True Copy of that order but maintained that “an ex parte order cannot override a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court.”

> “We shall continue to act only in accordance with valid judicial authority and the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he affirmed, underscoring the PDP’s stance on legal propriety.

The development has triggered a wave of speculation within party ranks, with analysts suggesting the move could reshape the PDP’s internal power dynamics ahead of crucial political realignments.

As the opposition party braces for further legal and political battles, the cancellation of the Ibadan convention marks yet another chapter in the PDP’s long-running struggle to steady its leadership and restore unity across its national structure.