The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed that its national convention, scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, will proceed as planned despite a recent court ruling seeking to halt the exercise.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary and Secretary of the 2025 National Convention Organising Publicity Sub-committee, Debo Ologunagba, described reports of a postponement as “false, misleading, and the handiwork of political detractors.”
“The 2025 national convention of the PDP has not been postponed but will go on as scheduled on Saturday, November 15, and Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital,”
the statement read in part.
Ologunagba urged party members and Nigerians to ignore what he called “misleading claims” allegedly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise the main opposition party.
“The APC is making a failed attempt to stop the PDP national convention and turn Nigeria into a one-party state, but such efforts will be lawfully resisted,”
he added.
According to him, the National Convention Organising Committee is working tirelessly to ensure a smooth and successful convention, with delegates and stakeholders already arriving in Ibadan.
However, a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had earlier announced the suspension of the convention, citing a ruling by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025.
In a joint statement, Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Muhammed, and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the court had restrained the PDP from going ahead with the convention pending the resolution of a leadership dispute.
“Having filed an appeal and in line with our responsibility to uphold the rule of law, the PDP hereby suspends and cancels the proposed Ibadan National Convention pending the decision of the Court of Appeal,”
Muhammed said.
The conflicting positions stem from two parallel court orders—one from Abuja and another from Oyo State. While the Federal High Court in Abuja barred the PDP from holding the convention, an Oyo State High Court granted an ex parte order permitting it to proceed.
The Oyo ruling has since been cited by the National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) as the legal basis for continuing preparations.
However, Senator Anyanwu argued that the Abuja ruling takes precedence, as matters involving national institutions fall under Federal High Court jurisdiction.
“The Abuja judgment takes precedence. The Oyo order is merely an ex parte order that lasts seven days. Before it was granted, we had already filed an appeal, which automatically stays all actions pending its outcome,”
he explained.
Anyanwu also reacted to reports of his absence from a PDP BoT meeting, where members reportedly endorsed the continuation of the convention. He dismissed the meeting as “one-sided”, claiming he was not invited.
“If I was not invited, then that gathering cannot be called a BoT meeting,”
he said. “Most of those present have not been confirmed as BoT members. It was a gathering of friends and associates, not an official BoT meeting.”
The suspended national secretary further disclosed that the PDP national secretariat in Abuja was temporarily shut down earlier in the week after intelligence reports of a planned attack by suspected thugs.
“On November 1, I wrote to the Inspector-General of Police and the DSS after receiving intelligence about a planned attack on the secretariat. I was nearly assaulted when I arrived, and it was the police that protected staff from harm,”
he said. “The closure was necessary to ensure safety.”
Despite the ongoing internal crisis, both factions maintain that the PDP remains committed to democracy, the rule of law, and national stability.
