Conflicting Court Orders, Leadership Crisis Push PDP Toward Parallel Conventions

Conflicting Court Orders, Leadership Crisis Push PDP Toward Parallel Conventions

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), once Nigeria’s dominant political force, is now teetering on the edge of institutional collapse. What began as internal factional wrangling has escalated into a full-blown legal and leadership crisis, threatening to split the party down the middle, both politically and procedurally.

At the heart of the turmoil are two contradictory court rulings that have thrown the party’s planned national convention into disarray. One court says “go,” another says “stop,” and the PDP is now caught in a legal tug-of-war that could culminate in the unprecedented spectacle of parallel conventions.

The first blow came from a Rivers State High Court, where a suit backed by allies of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike challenged the legitimacy of the party’s Convention Planning Committee. The court ruled that the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had overstepped its bounds, invalidating the convention process.

But just days later, a High Court in Oyo State issued a counter-ruling. Justice A.O. Akintola declared that the NEC acted within its constitutional powers and granted an interim order allowing the convention to proceed in Ibadan on November 15 and 16. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also directed to monitor the event.

This legal contradiction has weaponized the party’s internal divisions. The Damagum-led faction, which controls the national secretariat, is pressing ahead with preparations, citing the Oyo judgment as legal cover. Meanwhile, the Wike-aligned camp insists the Rivers ruling remains binding and accuses the other side of contempt.

Parallel Conventions Loom

What was once a hypothetical threat is now a looming reality. Sources within the Wike camp say they are prepared to organise a separate convention, claiming the Ibadan gathering is illegitimate.

“If the Damagum group insists on holding their convention in defiance of the Rivers order, we will have no choice but to give the party a legitimate leadership through a proper, legally-compliant convention,” a party insider told reporters.

This scenario ,  two conventions, two chairmen, two sets of executives,  would further plunge the PDP into uncharted territory, with appellate courts left to sort out the wreckage.

The legal chaos has emboldened rival factions to assert control over the party’s leadership. On Monday, Abdulrahman Mohammed, a former North Central vice chairman, stormed the PDP headquarters in Abuja and declared himself acting national chairman. His claim was backed by the Samuel Anyanwu-led National Working Committee (NWC), which had earlier suspended Damagum and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

Damagum’s camp retaliated with its own suspensions, targeting Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, and several others. The tit-for-tat suspensions have created a surreal situation: two factions, each claiming legitimacy, each suspending the other.

As Mohammed addressed supporters outside the secretariat, Damagum and his allies were conspicuously absent, underscoring the emergence of parallel power centers within the party.

Political observers say the PDP’s crisis is more than a leadership squabble, it’s a constitutional implosion.

“The PDP is not just politically divided; it is now legally divided,” said Dr. Olajumoke Adetola, a political science lecturer. “These conflicting judgments are a recipe for anarchy. If they cannot reconcile these legal positions quickly, the sound of gavels in two separate convention halls will signal its formal fragmentation.”

The crisis also plays into the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which stands to benefit from a weakened opposition heading into future elections.

With the convention date fast approaching and no resolution in sight, the PDP’s legal teams are racing to higher courts to seek stays and clarifications. But time is running out, and the party’s credibility is eroding with each passing day.

The PDP, once the architect of Nigeria’s democratic transition, now finds itself at the mercy of courtrooms and internal power plays. Whether it emerges united or splinters into irrelevance may depend not on political will, but on judicial interpretation, and the ability of its leaders to choose dialogue over division.

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