Supreme Court Voids Ibadan PDP Convention, Backs Lamido in Chairmanship Tussle

…As Justices fault party for defying court order, describe conduct as abuse of judicial process

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its dispute with Sule Lamido over the sale of form for the position of the party’s chairmanship.

The judgment was delivered by a split decision of three to two in favour of Sule Lamido, with the court holding that the conduct of the PDP’s National Convention by the appellant amounted to an abuse of court process, declaring the exercise null and void.

The court further ruled that the faction led by Kabiru Turaki acted improperly by proceeding with the convention despite a subsisting court order, without first filing an appeal.

According to the apex court, the PDP failed to challenge the existing order through proper legal channels.

Instead, it obtained a conflicting order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction, conducted the convention, and only afterward pursued an appeal.

The court described such conduct as an unpardonable abuse of judicial process, that political parties are not mere social clubs or tea party but institutions from which public leaders emerge and must obey court orders.

In a dissenting judgment, the minority held that the issue of the sale of nomination forms to Sule Lamido is an internal party affair and therefore non-justiciable.

It added that the court lacks jurisdiction over such matters and that the respondent failed to exhaust internal dispute resolution mechanisms.