Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has vowed to challenge a court ruling that nullified the outcome of its disputed national convention, intensifying a leadership crisis that has fractured the party for months.
Hours after the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld an earlier judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the results of the party’s November 2025 convention in Ibadan, the PDP’s national working committee announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
In a statement on Monday, the party’s national publicity secretary, Ini Ememobong, said lawyers had been instructed to immediately challenge the ruling at the apex court.
The appeal court’s decision upheld the suspension of the party’s national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, and reinforced earlier findings that the Ibadan convention breached constitutional and electoral requirements.
Despite the setback, Ememobong insisted the dispute remained fundamentally an internal matter for the party.
“We have instructed our lawyers to immediately take legal steps to appeal the same to the Supreme Court … to conclusively adjudicate on this matter,” he said, urging party members to remain steadfast while consultations continue.
Court faults convention process
The convention held on 15 November 2025 in Ibadan elected Tanimu Turaki as national chairman alongside other members of the national working committee for a four-year term, with backing from several PDP governors.
But rival factions challenged the process in court, arguing that the party had failed to comply with mandatory procedures under the constitution and electoral law.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appeal court affirmed that the lower court had jurisdiction to hear the case.
The judges rejected the argument that the dispute was purely an internal party affair, stating that alleged breaches of constitutional and electoral provisions brought the matter squarely within the court’s remit.
Among the irregularities identified by the court were the failure to provide valid notice of the convention to INEC and the absence of properly conducted congresses in more than 14 states prior to the gathering.
“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and party constitution and guidelines are at the heart of democratic governance,” the court held.
The panel dismissed Turaki’s appeal and awarded costs of ₦2m against the appellants.
The ruling also upheld an earlier order that the PDP should not have proceeded with the convention without allowing former Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State, to contest the party’s national chairmanship.
According to the court, going ahead with the convention despite a subsisting order of the Federal High Court was “contemptuous” and amounted to disregard for judicial authority.
Rival camps claim victory
The judgment triggered sharply different reactions from opposing factions within the party.
Turaki insisted the courts should not interfere in the internal administration of political parties.
“These are matters that should be left to the internal affairs and internal resolution of political parties,” he told reporters, adding that the party would study the certified copy of the judgment before determining its next steps.
But allies of Nyesom Wike, Nigeria’s minister of the federal capital territory and a powerful figure within the party, welcomed the decision as a victory for due process.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Wike said the ruling vindicated concerns he had previously raised about the legality of the Ibadan convention.
“Today is one of my happiest days because we must always abide by the rules,” he said. “When you violate the constitution, the electoral act and your own guidelines, it is no longer an internal affair.”
Wike added that multiple appeals had been dismissed with financial penalties, arguing that the legal outcome left little doubt about the convention’s status.
Party faces fresh convention battle
The PDP’s leadership crisis has simmered since late 2025, when competing factions emerged within the party.
While governors backed the Turaki leadership that emerged from the Ibadan convention, a rival bloc aligned with Wike established a caretaker committee on 8 December 2025 led by Mohammed Abdulrahman as acting national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as acting national secretary.
Attempts by both groups to hold meetings at the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza in Abuja, descended into chaos, prompting the Nigeria Police Force to seal the building. It has remained closed since.
Both factions subsequently sought recognition from INEC, but the electoral commission declined to acknowledge either side, pushing the dispute into the courts.
Following Monday’s ruling, Wike said the caretaker committee would continue to run the party pending a new national convention scheduled for 29–30 March in Abuja.
“You cannot allow a vacuum,” he said. “It is clear that the convention does not stand.”
Calls for unity
Despite the deep divisions, some party figures urged reconciliation.
Anyanwu said the ruling should be seen as a victory for democracy rather than for any faction.
“There is no victor and no vanquished,” he said. “This is a time for all of us to come together and reposition the party.”
Similarly, presidential aspirant Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim called on rival camps to move beyond the dispute and rebuild the party.
“This is a family quarrel that must now end,” he said, expressing hope that ongoing negotiations among party leaders would restore unity.
But with the PDP preparing for another convention and the legal battle heading to the supreme court, the party’s internal struggle shows little sign of easing.
