The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives has written to the National Judicial Council (NJC), expressing concern over recent court pronouncements that could affect the party’s forthcoming national convention.
The lawmakers urged the NJC to caution judges against being used by politicians to derail the country’s democratic process.
Leader of the Caucus, Hon. Fred Agbedi, in a statement, said lawmakers on the platform of the party were disturbed by the recurring pattern of judicial interference in the internal affairs of political parties, noting that such actions threaten Nigeria’s democratic stability.
Their position followed a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declined to grant an interim injunction stopping the PDP from holding its planned meetings and national convention but also suggested that any decisions taken by the party while the case is pending could be declared null and void.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was filed by some PDP members — including Austine Nwachukwu, the Imo State chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia State chairman; and Turnah George, South-South secretary — seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to halt all PDP meetings, congresses, and conventions until the matter is determined.
Although the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, refused to grant the restraining order, the PDP lawmakers said his accompanying pronouncements amounted to judicial overreach capable of emboldening anti-democratic actors intent on destabilising the opposition.
“We are deeply concerned that despite repeated Supreme Court pronouncements against judicial interference in the internal affairs of political parties, some judges continue to make themselves available as instruments in the hands of desperate politicians seeking to subvert democracy and impose a one-party system on Africa’s largest democracy.
“We are worried that while Justice James Omotosho refused the grant of the restraining order requested by the plaintiffs in this case, he still went ahead to declare that any action taken by the party in preparation for its national convention during the pendency of the suit shall be null and void. This might embolden anti-democratic elements determined to truncate the democratic process in Nigeria.
“These pronouncements clearly provide an enabler for those who do not want the PDP National Convention to hold so that the main opposition political party in Nigeria will not be able to present candidates in the Presidential and other elections in 2027.
“It is worrisome that while the court refused to grant the restraining order requested by the plaintiffs, it still made pronouncements that could be interpreted as providing legal cover for those intent on halting the PDP’s democratic processes. This, in our view, amounts to judicial overreach,” the caucus stated.
They therefore urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to act decisively to prevent any abuse of the judicial process that could undermine multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
“The survival of our democracy depends on the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary. The NJC must ensure that no court becomes a willing tool for the subversion of the will of the people or the destabilisation of political institutions,” the statement added.
