The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a ruling that bars the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dealing a significant legal setback to the opposition party.
In its judgment delivered on Monday, the appellate court affirmed the earlier decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which on October 31, 2025, restrained the electoral body from acknowledging or acting on resolutions and leadership outcomes produced at the convention.
The Federal High Court had issued the order following a legal challenge filed by aggrieved members of the party who questioned the legality of the convention and the processes that produced its leadership structure.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, parties connected to the convention had approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the decision and allow INEC to recognise the convention’s outcome.
However, the three-member appellate panel dismissed the appeal and upheld the lower court’s judgment, maintaining that the electoral commission must not recognise the convention pending the resolution of the substantive issues raised in the case.
The ruling effectively sustains the legal uncertainty surrounding the PDP’s national convention and could have far-reaching implications for the party’s internal leadership arrangements.
Political analysts say the judgment may further deepen divisions within the opposition party, which has in recent years faced internal disputes over leadership, party structure and the conduct of national conventions.
With the appellate court now affirming the earlier restraining order, attention may shift to the Supreme Court, where parties affected by the decision could seek a final determination of the dispute.
The decision also places INEC in a position where it must continue to withhold official recognition of the convention’s outcome until the legal battle is conclusively resolved.
