The Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the House of Representatives has urged the National Judicial Council to take action against judges allegedly being used by desperate politicians to destabilize Nigeria’s democratic process.
In a statement issued by caucus leader Fred Agbedi (PDP-Bayelsa), the group raised alarm over what it described as judicial meddling in the internal affairs of political parties.
Agbedi warned that such interference poses a serious threat to the nation’s democratic stability.
The lawmaker’s remarks followed a recent ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which refused to issue an interim injunction to stop the PDP from proceeding with its planned meetings and national convention. However, Agbedi expressed concern that despite the court’s refusal to halt the convention, it still issued orders that contradicted the spirit of its decision.
“The court, which refused to grant a request for a restraining order to stop the forthcoming PDP convention, went ahead to declare that any action taken by the party in preparation for its national convention during the pendency of the suit shall be null and void,” he explained.
Agbedi further lamented ongoing disregard for the Supreme Court’s consistent stance against judicial interference in party affairs. “We are deeply concerned that in spite of repeated Supreme Court pronouncements against judicial interference in the internal affairs of political parties, some judges continue to make themselves available as instruments in the hands of desperate politicians seeking to subvert democracy and impose a one-party system on Africa’s largest democracy,” he said.
He added that such judicial actions appear aimed at preventing the PDP from organizing its national convention, thereby hindering the opposition party’s ability to field candidates in the 2027 general elections. “These pronouncements clearly provide an enabler for those who do not want the PDP national convention to hold, so that the main opposition political party in Nigeria will not be able to present candidates in the presidential and other elections in 2027,” he noted.
The caucus called on the NJC to take decisive steps to prevent what it described as abuses of the judicial process, warning that such developments could undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy. “The survival of our democracy depends on the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary,” Agbedi said.
He stressed the need for the NJC to ensure that no court is used as a tool to subvert the people’s will or destabilize political institutions.
