The Peoples Democratic Party opened its national convention in Ibadan on Saturday amid a storm of conflicting court rulings, the absence of the electoral commission, and the most direct internal warning yet from one of its founding figures that the party is drifting toward political irrelevance.
The day began with a strong intervention from Iyom Josephine Anenih, a founding mother of the party, Board of Trustees member, and pioneer national woman leader. Her statement described the moment as one that demands honesty from the party’s leaders and members.
“The real strength of the PDP has always been found in the ordinary men and women across this country who remained loyal despite the turmoil at the top,” she said. Calling on all factions to step back from destructive rivalry, she added that “no battle against fellow party members strengthens the PDP. No faction can lead a divided party to victory.”
Iyom Anenih criticised the National Working Committee, the Board of Trustees, governors, and other senior leaders for allowing ego, indiscipline, and internal sabotage to weaken the party at a time when Nigerians needed it to provide oversight and a credible alternative. She warned that if the PDP fails to confront its weaknesses honestly, it risks becoming a relic of history.
Her warning landed on a convention already entangled in a serious legal and institutional crisis.
Conflicting Court Orders and INEC’s Absence
Two separate rulings from the Federal High Court in Abuja have halted the convention and restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from supervising or recognising it.
On 31 October, Justice James Omotosho issued an order stopping the party from proceeding until it demonstrated compliance with the Electoral Act and its own constitution in the conduct of state congresses.
This was followed on 11 November by an interim injunction from Justice Peter Lifu directing that the convention should not hold while former governor Sule Lamido remained excluded from purchasing a nomination form for the national chairmanship.
On 14 November, Justice Lifu delivered a final judgment holding that the PDP had breached its own rules by denying Lamido access to forms. He ordered that the convention must be halted until Lamido is allowed to contest and again barred the electoral commission from monitoring or recognising the gathering.
In contrast, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan issued an order on 3 November permitting the convention to proceed and directing that the electoral commission attend and monitor it. On 13 November, the court reaffirmed that this order remained in force pending another hearing.
Caught between these contradictory decisions, the electoral commission stayed away from the Ibadan venue.
What is at Stake
Legal analysts warn that the party now faces a significant danger. Under the Electoral Act, only candidates who emerge from valid congresses and a valid national convention can be accepted for general elections. If appellate courts eventually uphold the Abuja orders, any leadership or candidates produced in Ibadan may be nullified.
In a worst case scenario, the PDP could find itself unable to present candidates for the 2027 elections. Even party insiders acknowledge privately that this possibility, once unthinkable, is now real.
The Ibadan convention unfolded against this backdrop of legal conflict, internal division, and growing public frustration. Several power blocs within the party arrived in the city with different expectations of what the gathering should represent. Some want renewal, others want control, and some appear to be waiting for the courts to determine the outcome rather than the delegates.
For Iyom Anenih, the party is at a crossroads. Her message to delegates was that the convention cannot simply be a change of officers, but a moment of reckoning. It must be an honest effort to bury ego, enforce discipline, rebuild trust, and commit to service. Nigeria, she argued, needs a strong and credible opposition for democracy to thrive.
