The Peoples Democratic Party’s national convention, which took place in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025, has been declared invalid by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday, rejecting all appeals submitted by the party’s Tanimu Turaki-led group that attempted to defend the event.
The Turaki faction filed three consolidated appeals, SC/CV/164/2026, SC/CV/164A/2026, and SC/CV/166/2026, challenging earlier decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in Abuja that had criticized the convention’s conduct. A five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, rendered a decision.
The decision worsens the leadership turmoil of Nigeria’s largest opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections and deals a serious blow to the faction supported by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed.
Turaki became the national chairman of the PDP after the Ibadan convention, which took place on November 15 and 16, 2025. However, it was carried out against two different orders from the Federal High Court.
Wike-led faction wins Turaki faction
Recall that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Nyesom Wike led Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), confirmed that it has formally taken over Wadata Plaza, the national headquarters of the party, after the Nigeria Police Force unsealed the building.
Following the Court of Appeal judgement that recognised the National Caretaker Committee instituted by the Wike group, they quickly went ahead and consolidated their hold on the party structures by conducting their national elective convention on the 29th of March, which produced the faction’s National Working Committee NWC.
Reactions from Turaki camp
The Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling could trigger a fresh leadership crisis within the party.
The group’s spokesman, Ini Ememobong, said in a statement on Thursday that the Supreme Court affirmed the rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court in a split decision rendered by a five-member panel headed by Mohammed Garba.
“The three Justices (Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba) hinged their judgments on the disrespect of a valid, subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court and therefore held that, being in contempt, the appellants cannot be accommodated in the apex court, thereby dismissing the appeal,” he said
“The case at the FHC was not challenging any act or decision of any federal government agency but the leadership contest of the party, and therefore not justiciable.
“This is against the position of the apex court, wherein parties must be given the opportunity to address the court on matters raised suo motu.
“With this split judgment, which also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Anyanwu, and others, this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership.
“This leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend, which, if not carefully navigated, may not only affect the party but also multi-party democracy in our country”, he added.
