THE Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed April 22, 2026, to hear appeals arising from the protracted leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The appeals were filed by a faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, contesting the March 9 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld earlier rulings barring the party from proceeding with its controversial national convention outcomes.
A five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Mohammed Garba, granted an application for accelerated hearing on Tuesday, April 14.
The presiding judge ordered a shortened timeline for filings, directing respondents to submit their briefs within five days, while the appellants are to respond within two days.
Backstory
On March 9, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed the Turaki’s PDP attempt to overturn a Federal High Court judgment that restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of its Ibadan convention.
Delivering judgment, a three-member panel of the appellate court unanimously resolved all four issues raised by the appellants against them, ruling that the appeal lacked merit and affirmed that the lower court acted within its jurisdiction.
According to the appellate court, the plaintiffs had the legal standing to institute the suit as part of efforts to protect their democratic rights.
The court further rejected the PDP’s claim that it was denied fair hearing during the proceedings at the trial court.
As part of its ruling, the appellate court ordered the Turaki-led PDP to pay N2 million as costs, describing the appeal as frivolous.
Earlier, the Federal High Court had held that the party must comply with the Electoral Act and its internal regulations before any convention outcome could be recognised.
On December 22, 2025, INEC also declined to recognise the new leadership, citing existing court orders and ongoing legal disputes. The commission maintained that pending appeals did not invalidate subsisting judgments, reinforcing its refusal to update the party’s National Working Committee list.
The INEC referenced two Federal High Court rulings in Abuja in October and November 2025, which restrained it from giving effect to the outcome of the Ibadan convention.
The electoral commission noted that pending appeals did not automatically stay the execution of these judgments and emphasised that it remained bound by the law. A letter signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, explained that, in light of the suits, the commission could not update or recognise the list of national officers elected at the Ibadan convention.
In January 2026, another ruling nullified the convention and barred officials who emerged from it, including Turaki, from acting as national officers.
Roots of dispute
The PDP’s internal crisis predates the Ibadan convention. The crisis in the party traces back to the build-up to the 2023 general elections when a rift emerged between supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a group of governors led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who was Rivers State governor at the time.
During the party’s presidential primary, a powerful bloc of governors led by Wike, known as G5, demanded that the party’s presidential ticket be zoned to the South following the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was from the North.
Abubakar and several stalwarts of the party in the North disagreed with the proposal, leading to protracted rift among party members. The former vice president eventually secured the PDP presidential ticket after defeating other aspirants, including Wike, at the party’s primary.
The outcome deepened divisions within the party. Wike and some of his allies withheld their support for Abubakar during the 2023 presidential election.
The election was eventually won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after defeating Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
After the election, Tinubu appointed Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, a move that further intensified internal disagreements within the PDP. Although Wike accepted the ministerial position in an APC-led administration, he retained his membership in the PDP.
Some party leaders, including Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed, and PDP chieftain Bode George, have publicly criticised Wike’s role in the party and accused him of engaging in anti-party activities.
The Wike faction of the PDP recently held a parallel convention in Abuja and now reportedly occupies the party’s headquarters after it was sealed for weeks by the Nigeria Police Force.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M