The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened following a Federal High Court judgment in Ibadan that nullified the party’s National Convention held in Oyo State and sacked all officials elected from it, prompting an immediate appeal by the faction led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN).
In the ruling delivered by Justice Uche Agomoh, the court invalidated the PDP National Convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, and barred Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) that emerged from the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
The court further affirmed the Caretaker Committee loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, as the only recognised leadership of the PDP pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
Justice Agomoh held that the Ibadan convention was conducted in flagrant disobedience of two subsisting judgments of the same court, describing the legal action instituted by the Turaki faction as an attempt to legitimise actions taken in violation of court orders.
According to the judge, returning to court to seek approval for actions carried out in defiance of existing judgments was an exercise in futility, adding that the court could not sit on appeal over decisions of courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
“All decisions taken at the convention are hereby set aside,” the court ruled, dismissing the suit in its entirety.
Reacting in Abuja, Turaki said his faction had filed a Notice of Appeal and a Motion for Stay of Execution of the judgment, insisting that the ruling was largely academic pending a final determination by the Court of Appeal.
He explained that his group had approached the court solely to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Ibadan convention, adding that the court went beyond the reliefs sought by granting orders not canvassed by any party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this judgment is only one among several decisions on this subject matter, and the core issues are already before the Court of Appeal,” Turaki said, assuring party members that there was no cause for alarm and that the NWC produced by the Ibadan convention remained intact.
However, counsel to the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), described the ruling as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, saying the court firmly rejected what he called an attempt to secure judicial endorsement for an illegal convention.
Orbih said the judgment underscored the supremacy of the rule of law over political expediency and reaffirmed the caretaker committee’s authority to manage the party’s affairs until a valid convention is held.
The Wike-aligned NWC also welcomed the judgment, describing it as a landmark decision that reinforced constitutionalism and internal party democracy.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Mohammed, said the ruling unequivocally restrained Turaki and others from parading themselves as party leaders and nullified all actions taken at the Ibadan convention.
He added that legitimacy within the PDP could only be derived from strict compliance with the party’s constitution, extant laws, and valid court orders.
