The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for distancing itself from the party’s controversial national convention held in Ibadan.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the party’s Vice Chairman (South) and Acting Publicity Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos, the chapter said INEC’s refusal to attend the event was in full compliance with existing judgments of the Federal High Court, Abuja, as well as the Electoral Act and the PDP Constitution.
According to the party, INEC’s absence rendered the entire exercise “procedurally defective and legally unsustainable.”
The Abia PDP expressed concern that the convention was held in defiance of two subsisting Federal High Court judgments, noting that organizers relied on what it described as an ineffectual ex parte order that could not override valid court decisions.
The statement further faulted the timing of the convention, pointing out that several state congresses including those of Anambra and Ebonyi were yet to be conducted, and that explicit court orders restraining the holding of any national convention were still in effect.
Describing the event as a “brazen affront to the rule of law,” the party maintained that any decisions taken in Ibadan would not withstand judicial scrutiny.
The chapter urged party members and supporters to remain calm and committed to due process, adding that matters arising from the convention were already before the Court of Appeal.
Reaffirming its confidence in the judiciary, the Abia PDP called on members to allow the legal process to run its full course.
