The Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Abuja on Monday affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court of Nigeria restraining the Peoples Democratic Party from proceeding with its November 15 and 16 national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, without allowing former Sule Lamido to participate as an aspirant for the party’s national chairmanship. In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the appellate court upheld the November 14 ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had directed the party to provide Lamido the opportunity to contest in the race for the position of national chairman.
Delivering its judgment, the appellate court held that the PDP’s decision to proceed with the convention despite the subsisting order of the lower court amounted to contempt and a clear disregard for judicial authority. The panel noted that it was not in dispute that the party went ahead with the convention in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, even after the Federal High Court had issued an order directing that Lamido be allowed to participate in the exercise. According to the court, political parties and all individuals are bound to respect court orders regardless of personal views about such rulings, stressing that obedience to judicial decisions remains fundamental to the rule of law.
The appellate court also rejected the PDP’s argument that it conducted the convention in compliance with a judgment from another court of coordinate jurisdiction. The panel ruled that the existence of another judgment did not justify disobedience to the subsisting order of the Federal High Court, adding that parties who feel aggrieved by a court ruling must seek legal remedies through the appropriate appellate process rather than ignore the order.
The judgment represents a significant legal development in the internal leadership dispute within the PDP and may have implications for the party’s recent national convention decisions. Political observers say the ruling reinforces the judiciary’s stance on strict adherence to court orders and could shape the next steps in the leadership contest within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
