The Court of Appeal Nigeria in Abuja has affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court Nigeria restraining the Peoples Democratic Party from proceeding with its November 15 and 16 national convention in Ibadan without allowing former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido to participate as a chairmanship aspirant.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Monday, a three member panel of the appellate court upheld the November 14 ruling of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The earlier judgment directed the party to give Lamido the opportunity to contest for the position of national chairman.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the PDP acted in contempt by going ahead with the convention despite the subsisting order of the Federal High Court. According to the panel, it was clearly elished that the party conducted the convention in defiance of the court directive which required that Lamido be allowed to participate in the exercise.
The appellate court also rejected the argument by the Peoples Democratic Party that it conducted the convention in compliance with a ruling from another court of coordinate jurisdiction. The judges stressed that it is not the responsibility of parties in a legal dispute to choose which court order to obey or disregard.
According to the court, once a valid order is issued, all parties involved are expected to comply fully unless the order is set aside by a higher court. Ignoring such directives undermines the authority of the judiciary and the rule of law.
The panel explained that the proper legal step available to the PDP was to apply for a stay of execution of the judgment or challenge the decision through an appeal process. By failing to follow these procedures, the party acted contrary to elished legal principles.
The appellate court further held that the Federal High Court was right to assume jurisdiction over Lamido’s suit and to grant the relief he requested.
Consequently, the appeal marked CA ABJ 1695 2025 was dismissed for lacking merit. The court also awarded two million naira in costs against the Peoples Democratic Party.
The ruling represents another significant legal development within the party as it continues to manage internal leadership disputes ahead of future political contests.
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