Loyalists of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the camp of ex-Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike have petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), to inflict disciplinary action on Justice A.L. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court over what they described as “acts of judicial recklessness, impunity, and gross misconduct.”
Justice Akintola ruled that the National Convention should proceed, after it had been barred by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
In their petition dated November 5, 2025, party stakeholders, including Hon. Austine Nwachukwu, Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna, and Turnah Alabh George, called on the NJC to probe the judge’s conduct in a recent ex parte order issued on November 4.
Their petition has been acknowledged by the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria on November 6.
According to the petitioners, Justice Akintola granted an ex parte order permitting the PDP to hold its national convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, an order the petitioners believed directly contradicts a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Abuja court, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, delivered on October 31, had expressly restrained the PDP from conducting the convention on the same dates.
The petitioners described Justice Akintola’s decision as “a brazen violation of judicial hierarchy,” arguing that he effectively sat on appeal over the judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction—an action they warned could erode public confidence in the judiciary.
“This disturbing development not only undermines the sanctity of the rule of law but also threatens the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary,” the petition reads in part.
“If left unchecked, it could set a dangerous precedent where judicial officers become instruments of political expediency rather than impartial arbiters of justice.”
They urged the NJC to act with the same swiftness it demonstrated in similar cases involving judicial misconduct in Rivers and Imo States, stressing that prompt intervention was necessary to restore public faith in the judiciary.
“The NJC must reaffirm its commitment to discipline and impartiality by ensuring that errant judicial officers are held accountable without delay,” the petitioners stated.
The petitioners expressed hope that the NJC would treat the matter with urgency to reinforce the principle that “no one—no matter how highly placed—is above the law.”
