…lauds INEC for boycotting ‘ill-fated, unlawful gathering’
By Ime Silas
The crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has taken a new twist, as the Akwa Ibom State Chapter of the party distances self from the national convention held over the weekend in Ibadan, Oyo State, describing it as ‘ill-fated and ‘unlawful gathering’.
In a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Edwin Ebiese, the former ruling party also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for boycotting the event.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Akwa Ibom State, led by Rt. Hon. (Elder) Aniekan Akpan, unequivocally dissociates itself from the ill-fated and unlawful Ibadan Convention, hailing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its astute decision to boycott the invalid gathering. This commendable stance vindicates our commitment to upholding the rule of law and democratic principles”, the Akwa Ibom State PDP chapter noted in its statement today, Sunday.
The party further called for a massive condemnation by every PDP member of sound judgement of the ‘charade’, which it said was organized in brazen disregard to two subsisting court judgements.
“As a party that espouses democratic values, it is imperative that every member of sound judgment renounce the charade perpetrated in Ibadan, where two subsisting court judgments were brazenly disregarded. Notably, the Federal High Court, Justice Omotosho, had explicitly halted the convention due to the party’s leadership failure to adhere to its own rules, specifically the non-compliance with the requirement for designated officials to sign the notice of convention before submission to INEC”.
While further describing the Ibadan PDP convention as a mere social event, devoid of legal validity, the Akwa Ibom State chapter stressed that the lawsuit instituted by a former governor of Jigawa State, HE, Sule Lamido had barred the convention from holding.
“We commend INEC for acknowledging the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court 9, Abuja, instituted by H.E. Sule Lamido, which barred the convention from holding on the 15th and 16th. This ruling underscores the importance of respecting the constitution and electoral laws, thereby exposing the Ibadan gathering as a mere social event devoid of legal validity.
It is perturbing that some individuals within our party, erstwhile champions of democracy, have chosen to flout the very principles we have long espoused. Nevertheless, we remain resolute in our determination to join forces with true democrats to reclaim our party from those seeking to destroy it for personal gain”.
The statement also added that any actions and decisions that emanated from the Ibadan convention remained null, void and of no effect and called on its members to disregard same.
“Holding a convention in blatant disregard of a valid court order, despite warnings from esteemed stakeholders, is a recipe for crisis and destruction. Consequently, any decisions and actions emanating from the purported convention are null and void, and will be treated as such.
“We urge our party faithful to remain calm and focused, as the ill-advised convention is already sub judice at the Court of Appeal.
Our faith in the judiciary remains unshaken, and we encourage all members to await the outcome of the legal process.
PDP”.
It could be recalled that a ‘faction’ of the PDP held a national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State on the 15th and 16th of November, 2025, with some serving governors elected on the party’s platform and other key stakeholders as well as INEC boycotting it.
