The Supreme Court of Nigeria has described the Oyo State High Court order used by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to validate its 2025 Ibadan national convention as “forum shopping” and “disgraceful.”
The apex court made the remarks while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by the faction led by Kabiru Turaki.
A five-member panel of justices, led by Mohammed Garba, held in a split 3–2 decision that the convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan proceeded in violation of a subsisting court order.
The lead judgment, read by Chioma Nwosu-Iheme and supported by Justices Garba Lawal and Stephen Adah, affirmed that the PDP acted in disobedience to an earlier order issued by James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which restrained the party from holding the convention.
The court emphasised that once a valid order had been issued, it was incumbent on the party to comply rather than seek alternative rulings.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme specifically criticised the Oyo State High Court order relied upon by the PDP, describing it as a clear case of forum shopping.
She also cautioned judges and lawyers against enabling litigants to circumvent subsisting court orders, warning that such practices undermine the integrity of the judicial system.
