February 05, (THEWILL) — The Management and Staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) have declared that the National Convention of the party held in Ibadan, Oyo State, remains valid and binding.
They insisted that the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, is intact, lawful, and fully operational.
The declaration followed a recent judgment by the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which the PDP staff argued does not alter the legal standing of the NWC elected during the November 15–16, 2025, National Convention.
Last Friday, Justice Uche Agomoh voided the convention and barred the Turaki-led NWC from parading themselves as party officials. The court instead recognized a Caretaker Committee led by Alhaji Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
In a joint statement signed by 76 management and senior staff members on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, the party workers reaffirmed their loyalty to the Turaki-led NWC.
They stressed that the committee was duly elected at a convention sanctioned by the National Executive Committee (NEC) during its 101st meeting on July 24, 2025.
The statement was signed by high-ranking officials, including the Acting Director of Administration, Gambo Isa Gaude; Director-General of PDI, Dr. Edward Ugbada Adie; and Acting Director of Legal Services, Barrister Ibrahim Garba.
They maintained that the Ibadan Convention resolutions represented the exercise of the PDP’s supremacy over its internal affairs.
“As custodians of the PDP National Secretariat, we will not align with or recognise any unauthorised leadership apart from the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN-led National Working Committee,” the statement read.
The staff argued that the Supreme Court has established that party leadership and conventions are internal matters over which courts lack jurisdiction.
They further claimed that the party complied with the Electoral Act 2022 by notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and ensuring its officials were in attendance.
While expressing concern over conflicting judgments, the staff noted that an order from the Oyo State High Court had previously directed the party to proceed with the November convention.
They also rejected the imposition of a caretaker committee, noting that the PDP Constitution has no provision for unelected individuals to assume leadership arbitrarily.
The management and staff concluded by commending the PDP leadership for filing an appeal and an application for a stay of execution.
They stated that these legal steps have placed the Ibadan judgment in abeyance, ensuring the Turaki-led NWC remains legally intact while the party repositions itself ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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