By Yinka Giwa
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has urged leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to halt ongoing court battles over the party’s disputed national convention and focus on organising a fresh one that complies with electoral guidelines.
Saraki made the appeal on Tuesday in a statement posted on Facebook and signed by the Head of the Bukola Saraki Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, while reacting to the judgement of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria which upheld earlier rulings invalidating the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.
The former governor of Kwara State said the party should accept the verdict and move quickly to hold a new national convention in line with the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“My own position is that the Court of Appeal has ruled. However, with the revised timetable by INEC, it is obvious that there is no time to wait for the Supreme Court decision,” Saraki said.
He warned that prolonged litigation could jeopardise the chances of PDP members seeking to contest elections on the party’s platform in the 2027 general elections.
“If our motive is to see that we do not jeopardise the chances of our numerous members who want to contest elections on our platform, then this consideration should be the priority of all of us in the party,” he added.
Saraki said political parties exist primarily to provide a platform for candidates seeking elective offices and should not allow internal disputes to undermine that purpose.
“One of the key essentials of a political party is to provide a platform for candidates seeking to serve the people by contesting elections. We should not defeat this purpose,” he said, urging aggrieved leaders to set aside personal interests and prioritise the party’s collective future.
“At this stage, egos have been bruised. However, leaders should rise above personal interests and serve the larger common good,” he said, stressing that dialogue and compromise among stakeholders remained the only viable option to organise an all-inclusive national convention capable of producing a widely accepted leadership.
The Court of Appeal of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, had upheld the decision of the Federal High Court of Nigeria which invalidated the PDP national convention held between November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan. In its judgement, the appellate court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of Kabiru Taminu Turaki as the party’s national chairman.
Apart from electing a new National Working Committee, the convention had also suspended several party officials considered allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over alleged anti-party activities. Those suspended included the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and the National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature.
The dispute stemmed from multiple court cases filed by aggrieved party members who argued that the convention violated provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022, and the PDP constitution.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that the party failed to comply with constitutional requirements before conducting the convention, noting that no valid notice of the convention was served on INEC as required by law and that valid congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states before the convention was held. The panel also dismissed appeals filed by Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee, affirming that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the case and awarding N2 million in costs against the appellants.
Despite the legal setback, a faction of the party led by Kabiru Taminu Turaki has insisted that the PDP will still participate in the 2027 general election. Ini Ememobong, spokesperson for the Turaki faction, spoke after an expanded meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees in Abuja, which was attended by governors, National Working Committee members, state chairmen, and other stakeholders.
According to him, the meeting was convened to deliberate on the implications of the court ruling and explore options to ensure the party’s survival and continued eligibility to contest elections.
“Despite the underlying issues, the spirit in the room was clear — the PDP must not die. Nigerians still look up to the PDP as a stable platform to contest elections, especially with the tight timelines outlined by INEC,” Ememobong said.
“The guiding philosophy of the discussions was that the PDP will be saved and will remain a political party that will be on the ballot.”
He said several legal, political, and strategic proposals were presented on how to safeguard the party’s future, adding that further deliberations would continue with another meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
Also speaking at the meeting, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, said the PDP was going through a difficult moment following the defection of Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara State, from the party, a development that leaves Makinde and Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, as the only governors elected on the PDP platform.
Makinde described the situation as a challenging period for both the party and Nigeria’s democracy.
“I have been talking to people of knowledge, people who have been involved in the political evolution of this country, and none of them have seen a political landscape like what we are witnessing today,” he said.
The governor urged party leaders to remain conscious of how history would judge their actions during the crisis, adding, “Whatever role we want to play as individuals and collectively as a party, we must be conscious of what history is going to record against or for us for this period.”
He, however, expressed optimism that the situation would improve, saying: “Weeping may endure for the night, but in the morning, joy cometh.”