The ongoing leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party took a dramatic twist on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, as the party’s National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, and its National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, openly disagreed before a presiding judge over who has the authority to appoint legal representation for the party.
The clash occurred during the hearing of a suit filed by three aggrieved party members seeking to stop the PDP’s planned National Convention, slated for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
When the case was called before Justice James Omotosho, Joseph Daudu, SAN, appeared for the plaintiffs: Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (PDP Chairman, Imo State), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (PDP Chairman, Abia State), and Turnah Alabah George (PDP South-South Secretary).
Controversy erupted when Chief Chris Uche, SAN, supported by over five other Senior Advocates, announced his appearance for the PDP. Immediately, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, who also stood up to represent the party, challenged the move. Ajibade insisted that as National Legal Adviser, only he was constitutionally empowered to appoint legal counsel for the PDP.
Uche countered, informing the court that he had been formally appointed via a letter personally signed by the National Chairman, Damagum, to represent the party in the matter. Ajibade, however, maintained that the PDP constitution conferred that power solely on his office, citing previous court rulings to support his stance.
Taken aback by the public disagreement between the two top party officials, Justice Omotosho briefly stood down the matter for 10 minutes, instructing both men to resolve the issue outside the courtroom.
Upon resumption, the court was informed that both sides were unable to reconcile. As a result, Uche requested a short adjournment to allow further efforts at resolving the conflict on legal representation. In response, counsel for the plaintiffs, Daudu, SAN, urged the judge to proceed with hearing the case if the dispute remained unresolved by the next date.
Justice Omotosho then adjourned the matter to Thursday, October 16, 2025, for further proceedings.
In a separate development during the same hearing, the judge granted an application to join three additional defendants: Umar Damagum, Ali Odefa, and Chief Emmanuel Ogidi. The applications were presented by their respective counsels, Paul Erokoro, SAN, and Audu Anuga, SAN.
Erokoro argued that Damagum, in his capacity as PDP National Chairman and head of both the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), was a necessary party to the suit. Similarly, Anuga submitted that Odefa and Ogidi, both PDP officers, had direct interests in the outcome of the litigation.
Although Daudu opposed the joinder applications, arguing that the plaintiffs had not sought reliefs against the new defendants, Justice Omotosho ruled that all three were necessary parties whose interests could be affected by the case.
The judge accordingly ordered that Damagum, Odefa, and Ogidi be listed as the 7th, 8th, and 9th defendants, respectively, and directed the plaintiffs to amend their filings to reflect the changes.
The original six defendants in the suit are: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organizing Secretary Umar Bature, the party’s NWC, and NEC.
The plaintiffs are seeking to halt the upcoming National Convention, during which the PDP plans to elect new national officers.
