In a statement on Monday signed by the caucus leader, Hon Fred Agbedi, the lawmakers expressed deep concern over what they termed a disturbing pattern of judicial interference in the internal affairs of political parties.
They warned that if unchecked, such judicial actions could weaken Nigeria’s multiparty system and endanger democratic governance.
The caucus’s position followed a recent ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declined to grant an interim injunction stopping the PDP from holding its planned meetings and national convention.
However, the court also made pronouncements suggesting that any decisions taken by the party while the suit is pending could be null and void.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was filed by some PDP members — including Austine Nwachukwu, the Imo State chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia State chairman; and Turnah George, South-South secretary — seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to halt all PDP meetings, congresses, and conventions until the case is determined.
Although the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, refused to grant the restraining order requested by the plaintiffs, the PDP caucus said his pronouncements amounted to “judicial overreach” and could embolden anti-democratic elements intent on destabilising the opposition.
The lawmakers described the judge’s remarks as contradictory and capable of being misinterpreted to support those opposed to the PDP’s national convention, which they warned could jeopardise the party’s ability to field candidates in the 2027 elections.
“These pronouncements clearly empower those who do not want the PDP National Convention to hold. It is worrisome that while the court declined to grant a restraining order, it still made statements that could be interpreted as halting the PDP’s democratic process. This, in our view, constitutes judicial overreach,” the caucus stated.
The caucus urged the NJC to act decisively to prevent further abuse of judicial authority and protect the judiciary’s integrity from political exploitation.
“The survival of our democracy depends on the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary. The NJC must ensure that no court becomes a willing tool for the subversion of the people’s will or the destabilisation of political institutions,” the lawmakers concluded.
