Bode George Blasts Court Ruling That Halts PDP National Convention
Former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has strongly condemned a recent ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja that suspended the party’s upcoming national convention. The convention had been scheduled to take place on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Justice James Omotosho held that the PDP failed to carry out valid state congresses before moving to convene the national convention, and that the party’s procedures did not comply with the 1999 Constitution, the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the party’s own constitution.
In reaction, George unleashed a scathing critique, describing the court’s decision as “the joke of the century,” “open recipe for anarchy” and an example of “judicial brigandage.”
He argued that political parties must be allowed to manage their internal affairs without undue judicial interference, particularly when the electoral commission monitored and approved congresses without complaint.
George further urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Supreme Court of Nigeria (through its Chief Justice) to intervene, warning that such interventions threatened the country’s democratic stability. “This judgment will consume this country,” he said. “Judges are not politicians. Their duty is to interpret the law, not to meddle in party administration.”
George also blamed the ruling for emboldening security actions directed at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, an invasion he described as both illegal and a direct affront to democratic values.
The PDP leadership now faces the challenge of navigating the legal injunction while maintaining party unity and preparations for its leadership renewal. The decision has exposed a deeper fault line over who controls internal party matters: the judiciary or party structures.