PDP Convention: Fayose Criticizes Oyo Court Ruling Questions Legality

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Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has faulted the recent ruling from an Oyo State High Court that cleared the way for the Peoples Democratic Party to go ahead with its planned national convention in Ibadan later this month. In his view, the decision cannot carry legal force because it clashes with an earlier judgment already issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The controversy followed an order delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola, which directed the PDP and its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to proceed with the November 15 to 16, 2025 convention. That ruling immediately drew attention because it appeared to stand against an existing federal court order that had already put the convention process on hold.

Responding to the development, Fayose argued that a state high court does not have the power to overrule or neutralize a decision coming from a Federal High Court. He questioned the legal basis of seeking an ex parte order from a lower court level on a matter that had already been addressed elsewhere, insisting that such a move only deepens confusion within the party.

He portrayed the action as a desperate attempt by some forces inside the PDP to push the convention forward by any means possible. To him, the order from Oyo does not solve the party’s legal problem and should not be treated as something capable of standing above an earlier federal judgment. According to Gossip News Now, Fayose believes the process used to obtain the ruling raises serious legal and ethical concerns.

The former governor also challenged the involvement of the court in directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to monitor a national convention under those circumstances. He suggested that once a Federal High Court had already ruled on the issue, trying to secure a fresh directive from a state court only made the situation more questionable.

Beyond criticizing the ruling itself, Fayose called for the National Judicial Council to step in and examine how the order came about. He implied that the circumstances surrounding the judgment deserve scrutiny and hinted at what he sees as possible judicial irregularity.

Amid the legal dispute, Fayose also turned attention back to the PDP’s internal future. He expressed confidence in the party’s newly appointed Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman, and suggested that the PDP is now entering a period where rebuilding and internal repair should take priority over contested actions.

His comments indicate that he sees the party as being in a fragile recovery phase, one that requires careful leadership rather than moves that could worsen division. For Fayose, restoring confidence inside the PDP may depend on respecting legal process and avoiding steps that could further discredit the party’s already troubled structure.

Commentary and Analysis

Fayose’s intervention highlights how the PDP’s convention crisis is no longer just a political disagreement but a legal battle over authority and process. When two courts appear to point in different directions, the argument quickly shifts from party planning to constitutional hierarchy and judicial legitimacy.

His criticism also suggests a wider concern about what desperation can do to internal party management. Instead of building consensus, attempts to force a convention through disputed court orders may deepen mistrust and prolong instability. That is why the legal outcome may matter just as much as the political one in shaping the PDP’s next phase.