By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has taken a new turn as plaintiffs in the Abuja Federal High Court case that halted the party’s planned November 15 National Elective Convention have petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), accusing Justice A.L. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court of judicial misconduct.
In a petition dated November 5 and acknowledged by the NJC, Hon. Austine Nwachukwu, Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna, and Mr. Turnah Alabh George alleged that Justice Akintola engaged in “judicial recklessness” by granting an ex parte order permitting the PDP to proceed with its Ibadan convention despite a subsisting Abuja Federal High Court ruling restraining the exercise.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Nwachukwu, a former House of Representatives member and current Imo State PDP Chairman, decried the NJC’s silence on the matter, urging the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene swiftly to protect the judiciary’s credibility.
The petitioners argued that the November 4 ruling of Justice Akintola contradicted the Abuja court’s October 31 judgment (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025), amounting to sitting on appeal over a court of coordinate jurisdiction. They warned that such actions, if unchecked, could erode public confidence in the justice system.
“The judiciary must remain the last hope of the common man, not a tool for political manipulation,” Nwachukwu said.
The plaintiffs belong to the PDP faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, whose camp is locked in a fierce power tussle with the faction of the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
The internal feud escalated last weekend after the Wike faction dissolved the Board of Trustees led by Senator Adolphus Wabara for backing the Ibadan convention, prompting a series of counter-suspensions between rival groups.
Meanwhile, police have sealed the PDP National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, as tensions within the party intensify ahead of the disputed convention.
