New reports on Friday indicated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not participate in overseeing the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national convention set for this weekend in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A senior INEC official involved in party convention monitoring told Saturday Punch that the commission has decided to abstain from the event due to an active court order.
“INEC will not supervise the PDP convention,” the official stated unequivocally.
Another top-ranking source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reiterated that the commission’s actions would be guided strictly by the law and existing judicial directives.
“INEC operates in full compliance with the law. We will follow the FCT High Court ruling,” the source affirmed.
Saturday Punch gathered that INEC had initially prepared a press release to clarify its position on the matter but withdrew it after an internal review.
Court Orders PDP Convention Halt
This decision follows a ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, directing the PDP to suspend the planned convention.
The case was brought by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who claimed he was denied access to purchase the nomination form for the national chairmanship, despite having made the required payment.
Justice Lifu held that excluding Lamido contravened the PDP constitution and its internal guidelines.
The court barred INEC from supervising, monitoring, or recognizing any convention held without Lamido included as a contestant.
The judgment emphasized that the PDP has an obligation to provide a fair opportunity for all members to pursue political positions within the party.
As part of the order, Justice Lifu instructed the party to pause the convention to allow Lamido to acquire his nomination form, rally support, and campaign.
“Before any convention is conducted, the PDP must make nomination forms available to the plaintiff,” the judge declared.
Conflicting Ruling by Oyo State Court Fuels Uncertainty
Despite the FCT High Court’s directive, a contradictory decision by the Oyo State High Court on November 3 authorized the PDP to proceed with the convention.
Justice Ladiran Akintola, presiding over an ex parte application by PDP member Folahan Adelabi, permitted the party to continue with its convention plans and instructed INEC to participate in overseeing the election of new national officials.
