The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the Federal High Court’s ruling that stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in Ibadan. The appellate court consolidated all nine appeals related to the convention and delivered a unanimous judgment.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Ambi-Usi Danjuma and joined by Justices Uchechukwu Onyemenam and Muhammed Mustapha, dismissed the appeals and imposed a N2 million fine on the appellants.
The court affirmed that political parties must conduct congresses and conventions in strict compliance with their constitutions and the Electoral Act. It held that any violation transforms what might be seen as internal party matters into issues subject to judicial review.
“Any congress or convention carried out in breach of the party constitution and statutory provisions cannot stand legally,” the ruling stated, noting that such actions undermine internal party democracy and the framework governing political parties.
