Conflicting Court Orders: Saraki Tells PDP To Halt Ibadan Convention

Former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called on the Peoples Democratic Party to suspend its National Convention slated for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State, warning that proceeding under the current atmosphere of legal uncertainty would worsen the party’s crisis.

Saraki made his stance known in a post on his X handle shortly after receiving members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) Reconciliation Team, led by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, at his residence in Abuja.

Describing the meeting with the BOT delegation as “meaningful and incisive,” Saraki said the party’s challenges were discussed extensively.

He lamented that despite efforts by concerned party leaders, the planned convention had become engulfed in court cases and political wrangling.

According to him, “Despite the selfless efforts by some of us, the convention has become mired in political and legal controversies which do not bode well for our party or Nigeria’s democracy.”

Saraki warned that political disputes should not be resolved through conflicting court orders but through honest dialogue and consensus-building.

The former Senate President expressed concern over the contradictory court decisions surrounding the legality of the convention.

He stated, “As it stands, there are conflicting court orders on the convention. There’s no assurance its outcome will stand.”

Saraki said those contradictions made it impossible for him to support a process that could further fracture the party or undermine the aspirations of PDP members nationwide.

As a way forward, Saraki urged the BOT to immediately constitute a Caretaker Committee to temporarily manage the party’s affairs.

He argued that only such a step could restore trust and give members confidence ahead of upcoming elections.

“This is the path to true reconciliation and stability. It’s also how we can give confidence to those contesting elections on our platform,” he said.

He insisted that pushing ahead with the Ibadan convention would escalate tensions instead of resolving them.

“Going ahead with the convention in Ibadan will fuel the current crisis. It does not have my support. It’s not too late to find a win-win solution,” he added.

The PDP has been thrown into disarray in recent weeks following a series of contradictory court rulings.

On October 31, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja barred INEC from monitoring the convention due to the party’s failure to give statutory 21-day notice.

Then on November 11, Justice Peter Lifu of another Federal High Court also restrained the PDP and INEC from proceeding, following a suit filed by former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, who claimed he was unlawfully barred from the chairmanship race.

However, an Ibadan High Court, presided over by Justice Ladiran Akintola, extended its earlier ruling permitting the convention to hold if the PDP complied with its guidelines. That ruling remains valid until November 14.

The contradictory orders have sharply divided the opposition party.

A faction loyal to acting National Chairman Iliya Damagum insists the convention will proceed, while a rival group aligned with former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has warned members to stay away to avoid contempt of court.

Despite the mounting legal uncertainty, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, maintains that the convention will go ahead as scheduled, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress of orchestrating confusion to destabilise the opposition party.