The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the leadership of Tanimu Turaki, has formally welcomed a landmark judgment delivered by the State High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State. The ruling provides definitive legal backing to the party’s recent national convention held within the state, describing the proceedings as both proper and lawful.
In a statement released on Friday in the nation’s capital, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ini Ememobong, characterised the court’s decision as a profound “vindication of both fact and law.” The judgment, delivered by the Honourable Justice Ladiran Akintola, granted all reliefs sought by the claimant, Mr Folahan Adelabi, a dedicated member of the party.
Central to the court’s decision is a mandatory directive issued to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The electoral body has been ordered to recognise and accord full legal effect to all outcomes and resolutions arising from the Ibadan convention.
The litigation, initiated by Mr Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, was rooted in the protection of the claimant’s constitutional right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. The suit sought to ensure the PDP conducted its internal elections as publicly advertised and requested that the judiciary compel INEC to honour the resulting democratic mandate.
Mr Ememobong noted that the convention’s legitimacy was built upon a sequence of rigorous legal milestones. He recalled that the court had granted an initial order on 3 November 2025, which was subsequently renewed on 14 November 2025. These orders provided the essential legal framework that permitted the convention to proceed on 15 and 16 November.
“This final judgment affirms and gives conclusive effect to those earlier interlocutory orders,” Mr Ememobong stated. “It reaffirms the manifest fact that the Ibadan convention was conducted with transparency, propriety, and in strict adherence to the party’s constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Extolling the “courage and fidelity to justice” demonstrated by the court, the PDP spokesperson reaffirmed the party’s unwavering confidence in the Nigerian judiciary. He described the courts as the “independent arbiter and the final bastion of hope for the common citizen.”
While celebrating the High Court’s ruling, the party indicated its readiness for any subsequent legal challenges. “The party remains resolute in pursuing all legitimate avenues to ensure the total service of justice. We remain confident that the appellate courts will, in due course, uphold the rule of law without fear or favour, affection or ill will,” the statement concluded.
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