Damagum hails court ruling affirming PDP’s right to hold convention

Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, has described the recent ruling of the Oyo State High Court as a “courageous affirmation” of the party’s constitutional right to convene its 2025 Elective National Convention.
Damagum made the remarks on Wednesday during the meeting of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) held at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.

According to the PDP Acting Chairman, the judgment delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola effectively settled the legal disputes surrounding the party’s proposed convention and affirmed that the PDP had met all statutory and procedural requirements to conduct the internal electoral exercise.

“This judgment is not merely a victory for our party, but a triumph for democracy itself,” Damagum said. He commended the presiding judge for what he called an act of courage “in an era of judicial intimidation and moral compromise.”

Reflecting on recent internal challenges within the PDP, Damagum said his leadership had focused on reconciliation rather than retaliation, with the goal of restoring unity after the divisions that followed the 2023 general elections.

“Every decision I took, every compromise I made, and every gesture of accommodation was for the sake of the party,” he said. “I chose the institution of the PDP, beyond individuals or factions, because it is a legacy that will outlive us all.”

He urged the incoming National Working Committee (NWC) to embody integrity and fortitude, stressing that the party requires leaders capable of rebuilding its structures and rekindling confidence among members nationwide.

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“This meeting is convened to provide strategic direction for our preparations toward the convention and to address all pending issues,” Damagum said, calling for “sincere deliberations, good faith arguments, and unity of purpose for the good of our great party and the nation we serve.”

In his remarks, BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, appealed to aggrieved party members to embrace peace and prioritize reconciliation in the interest of party unity. He reiterated the board’s commitment to neutrality, emphasizing that its sole role was to mediate and harmonize differences among members.

Other notable attendees included BoT Secretary Ahmed Makarafi, Professor Jerry Gana, Senator Ben Obi, Josephine Anenih, Zainab Maina, and members of the Umar Damagum-led NWC.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan on Tuesday granted the PDP permission to proceed with its planned elective National Convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025.

In the ruling, Justice Akintola issued an interim order authorizing the party to hold the convention as scheduled in Ibadan, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend, monitor, and observe the exercise pending the determination of the substantive motion.

The ruling stemmed from an ex parte application filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum, Governor Umaru Fintiri (as Chairman of the National Convention Organising Committee), and INEC.

Adelabi had sought an order restraining the defendants from disrupting or altering the timetable, guidelines, or schedule of activities leading to the 2025 convention.

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