Federal High Court ruling that nullified the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national convention has been condemned by a senior party figure as an abuse of judicial power and an instance of overreach.
Umar Sani, a prominent chieftain of the PDP, issued a statement on Tuesday criticising the judgment delivered by Justice Uche Agomoh in Ibadan. He argued the court’s decision raised profound legal and institutional concerns beyond the specific dispute before it.
The case centred on a request for a mandamus order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to list a PDP faction led ex-House of Representatives member Alhaji Turaki on its portal. Sani contended the judgment improperly expanded its scope. He stated the court pronounced on the legality of a National Caretaker Committee, an issue he said was never raised by any party during the proceedings, nor was it a relief sought by the plaintiffs.
“The matter before the court was narrow and specific,” Sani said. “Yet the judgment went far beyond granting or denying mandamus and delved into internal party administration.”
He further accused the applicants of forum shopping. Sani noted they had previously filed a similar suit before another Federal High Court judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. Following an unfavourable ruling there, an appeal was already filed. Instead of pursuing that appeal, he said the applicants re-filed essentially the same case before a court of equal jurisdiction.
“That practice is settled law. It amounts to an invitation to a court to sit on appeal over another court of equal standing,” Sani stated, adding such conduct should have been rejected by the Ibadan court.
The ruling adds a new layer to the PDP’s protracted leadership crisis, which has seen parallel factions led by various senior party members. Sani’s statement frames the judgment as symptomatic of a wider issue, suggesting it fuels a perception of the Federal High Court being vulnerable to extraneous pressures.
The court’s full reasoning is pending, but the immediate effect is the invalidation of the party’s convention held in Ibadan. The PDP is expected to formally respond to the judgment, while the legal battle over the party’s national leadership structure is likely to continue through appeals. The characterization of the ruling as judicial overreach sets the stage for a sustained political and legal confrontation.
