…Oyo judge faces NJC petition over order
…Wabara remains our BoT chair – Okoro, Okpara
By Steve Oko, Adeola Badru & Luminous Jannamike
OPPOSING forces fighting over the November 15 National Convention of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have intensified the battle in court.
Yesterday, the hearing of the case challenging the convention was adjourned by Justice Ladiran Akintola of Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, under tight security as journalists were barred from covering the proceedings.
Justice Akintola adjourned the hearing of the Motion on Notice filed by Folahan Malomo Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, and others, to tomorrow, Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
Last week, the same court had ruled on an ex-parte motion permitting the PDP to go ahead with its scheduled national convention in Ibadan, while fixing Monday, November 10, 2025, for the hearing of the Motion on Notice.
However, after listening to the submissions of counsel from both sides, Justice Akintola urged all parties to file and exchange their processes to enable the substantive hearing of the case commence effectively.
He consequently adjourned the matter till tomorrow to allow for the determination of all pending applications before the court.
The claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, is seeking an order restraining the defendants, including Acting National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagum; the governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (for himself and members of the National Convention Organising Committee); and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from taking any action that could truncate or frustrate the conduct of the party’s national convention.
The court had earlier directed the PDP leadership to strictly comply with the guidelines, timetable and schedule of activities it previously issued for the convention.
Journalists who arrived to cover the proceedings, were denied entry into the courtroom.
Security operatives stationed at strategic points within the court premises prevented members of the press from gaining access, heightening speculation about the level of tension surrounding the case.
Judge faces NJC petition over order
On account of his earlier order, three party stakeholders aligned with the Nyesom Wike bloc have dragged Justice Akintola before the National Judicial Council, NJC, over alleged judicial misconduct
A petition dated November 5, 2025, and acknowledged by the Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria on November 6, 2025, was submitted by Austine Nwachukwu, Amah Nnanna, and Turnah George, accusing Justice Akintola of “judicial recklessness, impunity, and flagrant violation of established legal processes.”
Journalists were briefed in Abuja on Monday by Austine Nwachukwu, the embattled PDP chairman in Imo State, who was flanked by Amah Nnanna, his counterpart from Abia State. One of the petitioners, Turnah George, was absent at the briefing.
The petitioners alleged that Justice Akintola issued an ex parte order on November 4, 2025, authorising the conduct of the PDP National Convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025.
They said the order directly contradicted a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, delivered on October 31, 2025 (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025), which had expressly restrained the PDP from holding the convention on those dates.
They argued that Justice Akintola’s action amounted to sitting on appeal over a judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction, describing it as a breach of judicial order and a threat to the rule of law.
“This disturbing development not only threatens the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary but also risks setting a dangerous precedent capable of eroding public confidence in the justice system,” Nwachukwu stated.
The PDP chieftains urged the NJC to act swiftly and decisively, warning that failure to address the matter could embolden judicial officers, who disregard due process.
Efforts to reach the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who is aligned with the Governor Seyi Makinde-led bloc of the party that insists the national convention should hold on November 15 and 16, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls to his phone as of press time.
Wabara remains our BoT chair – Okoro, Okpara
Meanwhile, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, and former Secretary to the Abia State government, Dr Eme Okoro, has said former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, remained the authentic chairman of the BoT.
Also, a two-time Commissioner in Abia, and chieftain of the party, Chief James Okpara, has dismissed Wabara’s purported removal as BoT chairman as “a joke taken too far.”
Okpara also dismissed those claiming to have removed Ambassador Umar Damagum as the national chairman of PDP as “content creators”, describing their action as “illegality clothed in absurdity”.
The duo spoke separately in Umuahia, on the heels of last week’s emergence of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa; and Abdulrahman Mohammed, as PDP’s factional BoT chairman; and acting national chairman respectively.
Dr Okoro, a long time ally of Senator Ohuabunwa, expressed surprise that the former leader of ECOWAS Parliament, did not seek his opinion before taking the decision.
“My friend, Senator Mao, didn’t even tell me that he belongs to a faction that is creating another factional BoT. I’m amazed that it happened. He knows that I’m a very strong member, and firm supporter of the Follow Better Organization, which he founded.
‘’He should have consulted with people before taking that action. He knows I’m a member of the BoT of the party, and should have given me that opportunity to dialogue with him,’’ okoro said.
The elder statesman and a foundation member of the party, who said the idea of umbrella as PDP’s logo originated from his daughter, advised those who disagreed with the majority opinion of the party to rather look for alternative platforms, instead of staying back to destroy the party that made them.
“When I attended our last BoT meeting a few days ago in Abuja, it was not held in somebody’s house. It was held on an official platform and in an official area. I don’t belong to the BoT that my friend, Follow Better, is chairing. Senator Adolphus Wabara is our BoT chairman.
“I recognise him because we have not been dissolved by the appropriate body. It will be dissolved when we go to a convention and we have the majority opinion about dissolving or not-dissolving,” he said, alleging that external forces with some internal collaborators were working to weaken and ultimately destroy the PDP.
On his part, Chief Okpara, a lawyer, urged members of the public to disregard the purported removal of Senator Wabara as BoT chairman, describing it as an exercise in futility.
“The decision of a few individuals meeting in the private residence of someone working for the federal government cannot and should not be regarded as a valid PDP meeting. Whatever they did there is null, void, and of no consequence.”
Insisting that Wabara remained the BoT chairman of PDP, Okpara said that “any attempt to remove him without following the provisions of the party’s constitution is an exercise in futility.”
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