By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has granted all parties involved in the elective national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held on November 15 and 16, 2025, leave to settle out of court.
The court’s decision was delivered on Wednesday, March 11, by Justice Biobele Georgewill, who led a three-man panel of the court.
Justice Georgewill held that all the pending Motions on Notice regarding the case have been adjourned sine die on the resolution of the counsel to both parties to proceed with the settlement process.
The judge admonished counsels to the parties represented in the suit and the appellate counsel to seek a peaceful resolution of the case in the interests of the party and to revert to the court the parties’ resolution.
He further urged the parties involved to be mindful of the timetable set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 general election, noting that the counsels to the parties involved in the matter are in the best position to advise in that regard.
“The Court has granted leave for settlement in this matter. Also, the case has been adjourned sine die to allow all the parties to meet, either individually or collectively, to resolve the case pending before the appellate court peacefully.
“All the parties involved should be mindful of the election timetable as released by the INEC. The counsel of the various parties being represented here are in the best position to advise the parties that they are representing.
“The court should be duly informed through writing of the decision reached, whether they agreed or disagreed on the terms of settlement. To this end, all the pending Motion on Notice on this case has been adjourned sine die,” he submitted.
All counsel to the parties in the matter, in their various submissions, concurred with the court’s position on the matter.
The court’s decision follows the ruling of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, which had, on Monday, March 9, invalidated the elective national convention of the party.
The Appeal Court’s judgment was a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam.
In its ruling, the Appeal Court dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the PDP led by Kabiru Turaki (SAN) challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to entertain the suit.
