Ekiti High Court affirms PDP ward congress, strikes down unauthorized delegate list

Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti on Friday upheld the validity of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ward congress held across the state’s 177 wards on March 15, 2025.

In a landmark ruling, Justice Bamidele Omotosho also invalidated a new delegates’ list submitted by the party’s national leadership and nullified subsequent actions taken after the congress, reinforcing the legal framework governing the PDP’s internal processes.

The lawsuit, filed on May 6, 2025, by Hon. Afolabi Adedeji on behalf of the elected ward executives, named the PDP, Acting National Chairman Umar Damagun, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, Ekiti PDP Caretaker Chairman Dare Adeleke, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants. The court’s decision addressed grievances over the legitimacy of the delegates’ list and compliance with party and electoral regulations.

Justice Omotosho, citing established legal principles, declared, “No suit based on a charlatan claim shall be acted upon by the court.”

He affirmed that Hon. Adedeji, as the duly elected chairman and delegate of Ward 1, Ado-Ekiti Local Government, was recognized under the PDP’s 2024 convention guidelines.

The court ruled that the defendants’ submission of an alternative delegates’ list violated Sections 82 and 83 of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as provisions of the PDP Constitution (2017, as amended).

The ruling further set aside the unauthorized delegates’ list, stating, “The purported list of delegates submitted by the defendants is invalid and hereby set aside, as it contravenes the PDP Constitution and the Electoral Act.”

The court also issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, or privies from recognizing the disputed list, emphasizing adherence to legal and party guidelines.

Justice Omotosho condemned actions taken in defiance of prior court orders, noting, “Flagrant disobedience to this court’s orders regarding the ward congress elections is contemptuous and hereby nullified.”

The court urged all parties to respect the ruling to avoid further legal infractions and to refrain from resorting to self-help, in line with the Constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.

Commenting on the judgment, Funsho Ayeni, a prominent PDP leader in Ekiti, praised the court’s decision, stating, “This ruling paves the way for party unity and strengthens our resolve to rebuild the PDP in Ekiti.”

He called on party leaders to set aside differences and work collaboratively to position the PDP as a formidable political force in the state.