A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Umar Sani, has said the party’s planned national convention will hold as scheduled on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, despite the Federal High Court order halting the exercise.
Speaking on ARISE News on Sunday, Sani insisted that the ruling by Justice James Omotosho did not permanently suspend the convention but only directed the party to comply with certain legal requirements before proceeding.
“The judge did not say the convention has been stopped; he said it should be halted until we comply with certain requirements. That means if we meet those requirements before then, we can continue with our convention,” Sani said.
He explained that the PDP has multiple legal options, including filing an appeal with an affidavit of urgency to ensure the convention goes ahead as planned.
“We have several legal options available. Tomorrow, we can file an appeal with an affidavit of urgency, asking the Court of Appeal to hear us quickly because we don’t want to suspend our convention. We are determined to comply with every legal requirement or seek reliefs that will allow us to go ahead,” he added.
Sani said the party’s national and state structures had been directed to continue preparations for the convention, dismissing any suggestion that the PDP was deterred by the ruling.
“We are not disturbed by the judgement. Our state chapters have been directed to continue preparing. Those celebrating that the court has stopped our convention should think again — by the grace of God, the PDP convention will hold in Ibadan on November 15 and 16,” he declared.
On allegations that the injunction was influenced by former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, Sani said the party had anticipated such a move and was fully prepared to counter it.
“Wike has done his worst, which is to go to Justice Omotosho’s court to seek that order. We were not surprised. Most of the judgments involving Wike have come from that same court, so we had already envisaged it and had a plan A, B and C,” he said.
He added that the party would “surprise Wike,” stressing that the PDP was greater than any individual.
“The party is greater than him and greater than any group of individuals. The PDP is a family. Nobody can make himself lord over the party. The party will move on — with or without him — because he is no longer with us; he is with the APC,” Sani said.
When asked if his comments questioned the integrity of Justice Omotosho, Sani insisted he was only criticising the judgment, not the judge himself.
“Yes, the ruling was expected, but there is nothing contemptuous in what I said. I’m critiquing the judgment, not abusing the judge. As a Nigerian, I have the right to criticise a judgment that is not in consonance with justice. This particular judgment, in my view, was meant to serve a certain purpose,” he explained.
Sani maintained that the PDP remains united and resilient despite attempts to destabilise it.
“The PDP is not going to implode. It is still one strong family. Those leaving are mostly people in government positions — senators, governors, or House of Representatives members. The actual grassroots members are not defecting,” he said.
He vowed that the PDP would not be deterred by recurring legal challenges.
“For every move we make, the courts are used to try to scuttle it, but we won’t get tired. Justice is not only domiciled in the courts — there is also the justice of posterity and the justice of God,” he declared.
On former US President Donald Trump’s recent comments labelling Nigeria a country of concern over alleged religious persecution, Sani cautioned against framing Nigeria’s security crisis in religious terms.
“President Donald Trump should not focus on religion but on the sanctity of human life — whether Muslim, Christian, or unbeliever. Too many lives have been lost in Nigeria, and government must stop playing politics with people’s lives,” he said.
He, however, condemned Trump’s description of Nigeria as a “worthless country,” calling it demeaning and unpatriotic.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us, not to President Tinubu or the APC government. Anyone who denigrates our country is denigrating all Nigerians,” Sani said.
Boluwatife Enome
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