The Acting National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, has described the recent ruling by Justice Akintola of the Oyo State High Court as a “courageous” affirmation of the party’s constitutional right to conduct its 2025 Elective National Convention.
Damagum made the remarks on Wednesday at the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
The PDP Acting Chair said the ruling resolved earlier legal challenges and confirmed that the PDP has fulfilled all legal requirements to hold its internal democratic exercise.
“This judgment is not just a victory for our party, but for democracy itself,” Damagum said. He commended the judge for standing firm despite what he described as “an era of judicial intimidation and moral compromise.”
Damagum further reflected on the divisions within the party, noting that his leadership had prioritized reconciliation over vengeance, emphasizing the need to heal rifts that emerged after the 2023 general elections.
“Every decision I took, every compromise I made, every gesture of accommodation was for the sake of the Party. I chose the Party, not individuals or factions, but the enduring institution of the PDP that shall outlive us all,” he said.
He urged the incoming National Working Committee (NWC) to demonstrate courage and integrity, stressing the importance of leadership capable of uniting the party, reviving its structures, and inspiring members across the federation.
“This meeting is convened to provide strategic direction for our planning toward the convention and to resolve all outstanding issues,” Damagum said, calling for “sincere deliberations, good faith arguments, and unity of purpose, for the good of our great party and the nation we all serve.”
Also speaking at the meeting, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, appealed to warring members of the party to sheathe their swords and prioritize reconciliation for the sake of the party’s unity.
He emphasised that the board would remain neutral and focus solely on mediating differences.
Present at the meeting were BoT Secretary Ahmed Makarafi, Jerry Gana, Senator Ben Obi, Josephine Anenih, Zainab Maina, and members of the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC).
The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan yesterday cleared the PDP to proceed with its scheduled elective National Convention on November 15 and 16, 2025.
In a ruling delivered by Justice A. L. Akintola, the court granted an interim order allowing the party to hold the convention as planned in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend, monitor, and observe the exercise pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice.
The ruling followed an ex parte application filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Governor Umaru Fintiri (representing the National Convention Organising Committee); and INEC.
Adelabi, the claimant, had urged the court to restrain the defendants from truncating, frustrating, or disrupting the timetable, guidelines, and schedule of activities leading to the convention.
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