…Ibadan Convention Nullified
…Anyanwu, Bature, Ajibade Suspensions Upheld
…Rival Factions Head for Supreme Court
By Franklin Adole
The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Monday after the Court of Appeal in Abuja delivered a judgement that has triggered fresh claims and counterclaims of victory within the opposition party.
In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the appellate court affirmed an earlier ruling that barred the PDP from proceeding with the national convention it held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, which produced a factional leadership with Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Taminu Turaki, SAN, as National Chairman.
The court held that the party failed to meet statutory requirements before conducting the convention, thereby upholding the judgement earlier delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 31, 2025.
Delivering the lead judgement, the Justice Mohammed Danjuma-led panel ruled that the lower court properly assumed jurisdiction because the dispute involved compliance with provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and regulations guiding political parties.
The appellate court consequently dismissed the appeal filed by the Turaki-led faction, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1613/2025, and awarded costs of ₦2 million against the appellants.
The Federal High Court had earlier ruled that the PDP could not validly hold a national convention without first conducting state congresses in the various states to produce delegates for the exercise.
Evidence before the trial court showed that congresses had not been held in at least 14 states before the Ibadan convention was scheduled.
Justice Omotosho also faulted the notice issued for the convention, noting that it was signed only by the party’s National Chairman and not jointly by the National Secretary as required by party rules.
The court held that such notices amounted to a nullity in law and directed the party to reorganise its processes, including conducting valid congresses and serving the statutory 21-day notice on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before holding another convention.
The suit that triggered the litigation was filed by three PDP members—Austin Nwachukwu, the party’s chairman in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, chairman in Abia State; and Turnah Alabh George, the party’s South-South zonal secretary—all of whom are aligned with a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The trial court had restrained INEC from recognising or publishing the outcome of the convention pending full compliance with the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the commission’s guidelines for political parties.
However, shortly after the initial ruling, the party secured a separate court order that allowed it to proceed with the Ibadan convention, a development that further complicated the party’s internal divisions.
In a related development, the Court of Appeal also affirmed the suspension of several high-ranking national officers of the party, including National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Hon. Umar Bature, and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN.
The appellate court upheld the disciplinary action earlier taken by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), dismissing legal challenges filed by the affected officers seeking to nullify the suspensions and restore them to their positions.
In its lead judgment, the court recognised the authority of the NWC under the PDP Constitution to discipline and suspend party officials found to have violated internal rules or engaged in conduct inconsistent with party provisions.
The suspensions were imposed following allegations of anti-party activities and actions considered to be inconsistent with the PDP Constitution.
Reacting to the ruling, Umar Sani, former spokesman of the PDP presidential campaign and former Senior Special Assistant on Media to former Vice President Namadi Sambo, cautioned against interpreting the judgement as a definitive victory for any faction within the party.
Sani said that although supporters of the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have celebrated the verdict as a sweeping triumph, the broader leadership dispute remains unresolved.
According to him, the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of the suspensions could have implications for administrative decisions taken during the period when the authority of the affected officers was being contested.
He also pointed to contradictions in related legal proceedings, recalling that Ajibade had earlier been restrained by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt from representing the PDP in litigation involving Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara following a letter from acting National Chairman Umar Iliya Damagum challenging his authority.
The development, Sani argued, highlights inconsistencies that have emerged in the course of the party’s internal legal battles.
The affected officers have already indicated their intention to challenge the appellate court’s decision at the Supreme Court.