Appeal Court Backs Ruling Against PDP's National Convention

On October 31, 2025, the Appeal Court upheld a judgment from the Federal High Court in Abuja that restrains the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the outcome of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held on November 15-16, 2022. The three-member panel, led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, found that the PDP violated its own laws during the convention process, which led to the trial court's decision.

Justice James Omotosho had previously ruled that INEC should not participate in or recognize the convention's outcome because the PDP failed to conduct valid congresses in 14 states, which is a requirement for the convention to be valid. The PDP, dissatisfied with the ruling, appealed the decision, but the Appeal Court maintained that the trial court was correct in its judgment.

The court also noted that the matter was an internal party affair, and INEC's compliance with statutory functions regarding party conventions was necessary.