THE Supreme Court has nullified the national convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan in November 2025 over what it described as deliberate disobedience of subsisting court orders.
The convention was organised by the party’s faction, led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.
In a split judgment of three justices to two, the apex court, on Thursday, April 30, held that the convention, which produced a parallel leadership structure within the party, was conducted in clear violation of judicial directives, making it legally untenable.
Delivering the lead judgment, Stephen Adah faulted the Turaki-led faction for going ahead with the exercise despite a court order restraining it.
The court said the group ignored instructions from a trial court that had specifically directed that the convention be suspended until all qualified aspirants were given the opportunity to purchase nomination forms and participate.
The justices in the majority, Mohammed Garba and Chidioma Nwosu-Iheme, concurring with the lead judgment. They held that such conduct amounted to a disregard for the authority of the court and could not be allowed to stand.
Adah described the decision to proceed with the Ibadan convention as condemnable, stressing that obedience to court orders is fundamental to the rule of law.
The ruling is the latest development in the prolonged leadership crisis rocking the PDP following its controversial national convention in Ibadan and ill troubles that had bedeviled it.
The convention produced a leadership team led by Turaki. However, some members loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, were suspended during the convention. The suspended members challenged their sack in the court.
On December 22, 2025, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejected requests by the Turaki-led team that the commission recognise the party’s new National Working Committee (NWC), citing existing court judgments and unresolved legal processes.
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.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, in January 2026, had nullified the convention and barred Turaki and other officials who emerged from the exercise from acting as national officers of the party.
In March 2026, the Court of Appeal dismissed the PDP faction’s attempt to overturn an earlier judgment that restrained INEC from recognising the outcome of the convention. The appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision and imposed costs on the Turaki-led faction.
Following the decision, the party announced that it had instructed its lawyers to file an appeal and pursue all available legal options to defend its position.
Despite these rulings, the Turaki-led faction continued to insist on the legitimacy of its leadership, while the rival Wike-aligned bloc also laid claim to the party’s national structure, following a separate convention in Abuja.
The PDP’s internal crisis has been deepened by long-standing political divisions that emerged after the 2023 general elections, particularly disagreements over presidential zoning and the party’s primary election.
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
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.