April 30, (THEWILL) — The Supreme Court, on Thursday, delivered a landmark judgement nullifying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, a decision that has further deepened the leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
In a split judgement of three to two, the apex court upheld the earlier decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which voided the Ibadan convention that produced the factional National Working Committee (NWC) led by former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, SAN.
The ruling, delivered by a five-member panel presided over by Justice Mohammed Garba, is being widely interpreted as a major victory for the camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, which had consistently challenged the legality of the convention and the emergence of the Turaki-led executive.
The judgement also effectively affirmed the suspension of key PDP figures, including Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and others, as earlier upheld by the Court of Appeal, thereby intensifying uncertainty over the party’s leadership structure.
Delivering the lead judgement, Justice Stephen Adah held that the appellants acted in clear violation of subsisting orders of the Federal High Court, which had restrained the PDP from proceeding with the convention pending the resolution of disputes arising from state congresses and internal party processes.
Justice Adah ruled that disobedience to lawful court orders constituted a grave affront to the rule of law and democratic governance and could not be condoned by the apex court.
He held that proceeding with the convention despite valid restraining orders amounted to making “a mockery of the majesty of the judiciary” and an affront to the authority of the courts.
According to the apex court, no political party or political actor possesses the authority to disregard lawful judicial orders under the guise of internal party affairs.
“The convention conducted in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, having been held contrary to subsisting orders of court and in breach of the party’s constitution, is hereby declared null, void, and of no effect whatsoever”, the court ruled.
The court further held that the convention failed to comply with mandatory constitutional procedures and due process requirements governing the conduct of national conventions and the emergence of party leadership.
By implication, all decisions, appointments and claims to leadership arising from the convention, including the Turaki-led national executive, have now been invalidated.
The majority judgment also strongly condemned what it described as “forum shopping” by organisers of the convention, who allegedly approached the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan to secure favourable orders after restraining orders had already been issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Supreme Court observed that both the Federal High Court and the Oyo State High Court are courts of coordinate jurisdiction and criticised the conduct of both counsel and judicial officers involved in the conflicting proceedings.
It described the actions surrounding the forum shopping as “shameful and embarrassing”, warning against attempts to manipulate judicial processes for political advantage.
The legal battle originated after the Ibadan convention produced a national executive led by Turaki. Opponents aligned with Wike challenged the exercise, alleging that it violated subsisting court orders, failed to comply with PDP constitutional guidelines and was conducted without properly concluded state congresses.
The dispute began intensifying in October 2025 when Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained the PDP faction led by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State from conducting the planned convention.
Justice Omotosho held that evidence before the court showed the PDP failed to conduct valid state congresses before the convention as required under the 1999 Constitution, INEC guidelines and the party’s constitution.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, was instituted by three aggrieved PDP members — Austin Nwachukwu, Imo PDP Chairman; Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia PDP Chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, PDP South-South Secretary.
In a separate suit, former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, challenged his exclusion from the PDP national chairmanship race, arguing that he was denied the opportunity to obtain nomination forms to contest the office.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court subsequently restrained the party from proceeding with the convention until Lamido was afforded the opportunity to participate in the contest.
On November 14, 2025, Justice Lifu issued a final order halting the convention, ruling that Lamido’s exclusion violated the PDP constitution and internal regulations.
Despite the restraining orders, the party proceeded with the convention in Ibadan, insisting that the matter constituted an internal affair beyond judicial intervention.
However, the Supreme Court majority rejected that argument and insisted that once parties approach the courts, they are bound to obey judicial directives.
The majority judgement delivered by Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah and Mohammed Garba held that parties who disobey court orders cannot seek equitable remedies before the same courts.
“The appellants, having acted in contempt of valid and subsisting orders of court, cannot be accommodated by this court”, the judgement held.
However, the dissenting minority judgements delivered by Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar disagreed with the majority position, holding that the dispute was strictly an internal affair of the PDP and therefore non-justiciable.
According to the dissenting justices, the matter did not involve any federal government agency or constitutional issue capable of conferring jurisdiction on the Federal High Court.
The minority also faulted Sule Lamido for failing to exhaust internal dispute resolution mechanisms within the PDP before approaching the courts.
The dissenting justices further argued that courts should not interfere in leadership contests within political parties and maintained that the suit ought to have been dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
Following Thursday’s ruling, the Turaki-led faction issued a strongly worded statement expressing concern that the judgment had effectively plunged the PDP into a leadership vacuum.
In the statement signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, spokesperson for the “Uncompromised PDP”, the faction warned that the ruling had left the party without a clearly defined leadership structure.
“With this split judgement, 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”, the statement read.
The faction, however, expressed confidence that the party’s governors, Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee and other stakeholders would take urgent steps to restore stability and salvage the opposition party.
“To this end, we are certain that the existing organs of the party will take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership on it going forward”, Ememobong stated.
The group further warned that failure to properly manage the aftermath of the judgment could destabilise not only the PDP but also Nigeria’s broader multi-party democratic system.
“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”, the statement added.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
