By Abiola Olawale
The internal crisis within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to unfold as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has formally approached the National Judicial Council (NJC), urging it to impose sanctions on an Oyo State High Court Judge, Justice Ladiran Akintola.
The faction is calling for sanctions on Justice Akintola for issuing an order they deem contradictory and a violation of established legal processes.
The move comes in the wake of an ex parte order granted by Justice Akintola. The order gave the Umar Damagum-led faction the green light to proceed with the proposed PDP National Convention slated for November 15-16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
However, Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Nnanna, and Turnah George, who are believed to be loyal to Wike, in the petition filed before the NJC, accused Akintola of issuing an ex parte order that contradicted a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court.
The petitioners said the order given by Akintola amounts to “judicial indiscretion and abuse of office”.
“Even a non-lawyer knows that a State High Court lacks the authority to function as an appellate Court over a decision of the Federal High Court,” the petition reads.
“Therefore, the Ex-Parte Order made by Justice A.L. Akintola, despite the conclusive determination of a similar Suit at the Federal High Court with finality, undermines and further casts aspersions on the Judicial Reforms being championed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“By Justice A.L. Akintola’s Ex-Parte Order, his lordship had thus appointed and constituted himself into an appellate Court and had sat on appeal over the judgment of the Federal High Court and varied the same via an Ex-Parte Order.
“His lordship cannot feign ignorance of the judgment of the Federal High Court on the same subject matter because Justice Omotosho’s judgment was not only widely televised on many National Media Houses like NTA, TVC, Arise News, Channels Television and others but also circulated and reported on many National Dailies like Daily Trust Newspaper, The Nation as well as other online News Media.”
The petitioners asked the NJC to probe Akintola over the ex parte order and “ensure judicial space is sanitised”.
