Three senior members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have approached the National Judicial Council (NJC), urging it to sanction Justice A. L. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court over alleged abuse of judicial authority.

The complainants—Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Nnanna, and Turnah George—are plaintiffs in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, currently pending at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Previously, the Federal High Court had barred the PDP from holding its national elective convention, originally scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

However, on November 4, Justice Akintola directed the PDP and Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum to go ahead with the convention, a ruling that contradicted the Federal High Court’s injunction.

In their petition to the NJC, Nwachukwu, Nnanna, and George—reportedly allies of Minister Nyesom Wike, who opposes the convention—accused the judge of issuing an ex parte order that directly conflicted with an existing Federal High Court judgment.

They described the order as an act of “judicial indiscretion and abuse of office”, warning that such actions undermine public trust in the judiciary.

The petition stated, “Even a non-lawyer understands that a State High Court cannot act as an appellate court over a Federal High Court ruling. Justice Akintola’s ex parte order, issued despite the Federal High Court’s conclusive determination, effectively positioned him as an appellate judge and altered a binding decision.”

It further noted, “Justice Akintola cannot claim ignorance of the Federal High Court judgment, which was widely broadcast across national media outlets such as NTA, TVC, Arise News, Channels TV, and covered in major newspapers including Daily Trust and The Nation.”

The PDP chieftains requested the NJC to investigate Justice Akintola and take measures to “sanitize the judicial space”, ensuring respect for the integrity and hierarchy of the courts.