March 09, (THEWILL) — The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, and upheld the decision sacking the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabiru Turaki.
Delivering judgment, a three-member appellate panel including Justices Mohammed Ambi-Usi Danjuma, Okechukwu Onyemenam, and Muhammed Mustapha, dismissed appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction and affirmed earlier rulings declaring the Ibadan convention illegal and unconstitutional.
The panel had reserved judgment on February 12, 2026, on nine consolidated appeals filed by rival factions contesting conflicting court decisions over the legality of the convention.
One of the consolidated cases, FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, produced a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which halted the convention until the PDP fully complied with its constitution, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, and the Electoral Act 2022.
The suit was filed by three aggrieved party members: Austin Nwachukwu, PDP chairman in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, PDP chairman in Abia State; and Turnah Alabh George, PDP South-South secretary.
Another significant suit was filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, in which Justice Peter Lifu restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from supervising, monitoring, or recognizing any PDP convention that excluded him as a contestant. Lamido had alleged that he was denied the opportunity to purchase nomination forms to contest the party’s national chairmanship.
Three other cases, including one from the Oyo State High Court, challenged the convention’s legality, while another suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/2520/2025, concerned the closure of the PDP National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza and was filed against the Nigeria Police Force.
THEWILL recalls that on October 31, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja halted the PDP convention following complaints that the exercise violated provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, INEC guidelines, and the PDP constitution.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the convention could not be validly held because the party had not first conducted proper state congresses.
The court also barred INEC from supervising the exercise. Days later, however, another High Court in Ibadan directed the PDP to proceed with the convention and asked INEC to monitor the exercise.
Despite two restraining orders from the Federal High Court in Abuja, the organizers went ahead with the convention on November 15–16, electing a new National Working Committee headed by Turaki.
Following the Ibadan convention, INEC declined to recognize the Turaki-led leadership, citing subsisting court orders and ongoing litigation that prevented the commission from updating or acting on the list of national officers.
In a January 30, 2026 ruling, Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the convention and sacked the Turaki-led NWC.
The judgment followed a suit by a PDP faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which alleged that the convention was marred by irregularities, including exclusion of key stakeholders, procedural breaches, and improper accreditation of delegates.
Earlier, an Ibadan High Court under Justice Ladiran Akintola had affirmed the validity of the convention, granting all 13 reliefs sought and recognizing Turaki as the substantive National Chairman. The court had held that the convention complied with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and other electoral laws.
Delivering judgment on Monday in an appeal filed by Kabiru Turaki SAN, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who led the three-member appellate panel, held that the PDP acted wrongly in going ahead with the convention.
The appellate court noted that the PDP “made a somersault when, instead of appealing against the Federal High Court decision, it opted for a court of coordinate jurisdiction where it got a favourable judgment that was obeyed.”
Justice Onyemenam stressed that denial of opportunity to perform legal rights cannot be excused under the guise of internal party affairs, adding that “internal affairs are not absolute.”
He further stated, “Where a party deliberately breached the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its own Constitution and Guidelines, it has gone beyond any internal affairs that courts cannot adjudicate upon.
The court must by law intervene and resolve the matter in line with the position of the law. No valid notice of the convention was served on INEC as required by law.
Valid congresses were not held in more than 14 states as provided by law before the 2025 convention was put in place.”
He further emphasised, “The case of the aggrieved PDP members who instituted the suit against the party is not a matter of internal party affairs but a legitimate effort to compel INEC to comply with its statutory functions in relation to party conventions.”
Justice Mustapha added, “Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the party Constitution and Guidelines goes to the heart of democratic governance. Compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy.”
Justice Danjuma noted, “Where a political party fails or refuses to conduct its congresses or conventions in accordance with its constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act, such matters are subject to judicial scrutiny.”
The appellate court also criticized the Turaki faction for disobeying lawful orders and resorting to self-help.
It stated, “This action is a direct affront against the authority of the court which must not be condoned for whatever reason. Resorting to selective judgment to obey cannot be helpful to the party. No court will fold its hand while its authorities are being rubbished. The action of the appellant is condemnable as it is contemptuous.
The appeal filed by the Turaki SAN faction was therefore dismissed, and the court awarded N2 million in costs against the PDP.
Ruling in the suit filed by Lamido, the appellate court upheld the judgment of Justice Peter Lifu, ordering suspension of the national convention until the former Jigawa State Governor was allowed to purchase the party’s chairmanship nomination form.
The appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by Ali Odefa and another appellant linked to the faction aligned with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, challenging the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court delivered by Justice James Omotosho.
In the case CHIEF ALI ODEFA and ANOR v AUSTINE NWACHUKWU and 9 ORS, the Court held that the appeal filed by Odefa and his co-appellant was incompetent, ruling that the appellants lacked the legal standing required to institute the action.
The court specifically held that the appellants lacked locus standi, rendering the appeal invalid. It further ruled that Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi were not officials of the PDP at the time they filed the appeal, making their action legally defective.
Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal and imposed a N2 million cost against the appellants, widely seen as members of the Makinde-backed Turaki faction.
Meanwhile, the appellate court upheld the suspension of key national officers of the PDP, including former National Legal Adviser Barr. Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), former National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Deputy Legal Adviser Okechukwu Osuoha, and National Organising Secretary Umaru Bature.
A three-member appellate panel affirmed decisions earlier taken by the party’s NWC to suspend Ajibade, Anyanwu, and others on November 1, 2025, following allegations of anti-party activities and conduct “inconsistent with the provisions of the PDP Constitution.”
The court ruled that the PDP acted within its constitutional powers under the party’s constitution in imposing the suspensions and that these actions were not contrary to any existing legal or procedural requirements.
In its lead judgment, the appellate court validated the disciplinary processes initiated by the PDP, citing the supremacy of the party’s constitution in internal administrative matters.
The court recognized the authority of the NWC to suspend officers found to have violated party discipline and constitutional provisions.
All prayers seeking to nullify the suspensions and reinstate the officers to their respective positions were dismissed for lacking merit, effectively rejecting the legal challenges mounted by the embattled officials.
The court emphasized the principle that political parties have the power to enforce internal discipline within the framework of their constitutions and that courts will uphold such internal processes where they comply with legal standards.
The suspensions had been triggered after investigations revealed that the officers allegedly engaged in conduct contrary to party directives, a move the NWC said was necessary to maintain internal cohesion and adherence to party norms.
Felix Ifijeh, THEWILL
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