The Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan came alive early Saturday as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) trooped into the venue for the party’s national convention, even as legal and internal disputes continue to cast a shadow over the event.
By mid-morning, the atmosphere around the stadium was charged with activity. Party delegates, security personnel, and transport workers filled the surroundings, signaling the start of one of the party’s most contentious gatherings in recent years.
According to our correspondent, the streets leading to the stadium were already crowded as the convention planning committee implemented crowd-control measures. Traffic around the main gate was redirected, while the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers worked with state authorities to organize taxis and motorcycles to ease movement for guests.
Security agencies were also heavily deployed, creating a fortified perimeter around the venue. Delegates began arriving as early as Friday, leaving hotels across Ibadan fully booked.
Crowds Gather As Party Leaders Hold Strategy Meetings
Activities were not limited to the stadium. The Government House also hosted several late-night and early-morning meetings as party leaders worked to finalise coordination for the convention.
The gathering has drawn senior party figures from across the country, even as internal disagreements threaten to overshadow the event. Since preparations began, loyalists of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, have demanded that unresolved congress disputes be addressed before any convention can take place.
Read also: PDP Pushes Ahead With Ibadan Convention Despite Court Order
This disagreement deepened existing divisions within the PDP, resulting in two factions—one led by Ambassador Umar Damagum and the other by Abdulrahman Muhammed, issuing conflicting positions on whether the convention should hold.
Court Orders, Factional Tensions Add Pressure to Convention
While the Damagum-led group insisted that the convention proceed, the Abdulrahman faction announced its cancellation, citing a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja.
Despite this, the PDP Board of Trustees stood its ground, maintaining that the convention must go ahead as planned. The BoT’s stance directly challenges an order by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, which asked the party to halt preparations for the Ibadan gathering.
On Friday, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan heard a separate suit filed by PDP member Folahan Adelabi, challenging the convention. However, issues of jurisdiction took centre stage. Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), O. Adeyemi, argued that INEC, as a federal agency, can only be sued in a Federal High Court.
The claimant’s counsel, Musibau Adetumbi, SAN, disagreed, saying the argument violated his client’s constitutional rights to assembly and participation in party activities. He cited Section 251 of the Constitution, insisting that the matter did not fall under exclusive Federal High Court jurisdiction.
After listening to both parties, Justice Ladiran Akintola reserved ruling until December 8 and reaffirmed that the interim order previously granted, restraining any interference with preparations for the PDP convention, remained in force.
The defendants in the suit include the PDP, its acting National Chairman Umar Damagun, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri (who chairs the convention committee), and INEC.
With the Oyo court’s interim order still standing, preparations for the convention have continued uninterrupted, even as uncertainty lingers over post-convention legal battles.
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