On Wednesday, the Supreme Court reserved judgment in an appeal seeking to validate the outcome of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.
The appeal, filed by a faction led by Tanimu Turaki, challenges earlier rulings of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which invalidated the convention.
A five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, reserved judgment after hearing arguments from all parties. The court said a date for the ruling would be communicated.
Counsel to the appellants, led by Chief Paul Erokoro, SAN, urged the court to allow the appeal and dismiss a cross-appeal filed by a rival faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
However, the respondents, including a faction linked to Sule Lamido, asked the court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the dispute is not purely an internal party matter and was rightly handled by lower courts.
New Telegraph reported that the crisis stemmed from the PDP’s national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, which produced a leadership faction led by Turaki.
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Before the convention, a Federal High Court in Abuja had issued an order stopping the exercise. The court directed that Lamido, a founding member of the party, must be allowed to contest for the position of national chairman.
The court held that he had been unfairly excluded and ordered the party to allow him to obtain nomination forms, campaign, and participate in the process.
Despite the order, the PDP proceeded with the convention — a move that later drew criticism from the Court of Appeal.
The appellate court faulted the party for going ahead with the convention in defiance of a subsisting court order, describing the action as an abuse of court process.
It ruled that the party ought to have sought a stay of execution rather than proceeding with the exercise or obtaining conflicting orders from another court.
The court also upheld findings that the convention did not meet key legal requirements, including proper notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the conduct of valid state congresses in several states
The Turaki-led faction is asking the apex court to overturn the lower court decisions and recognise the outcome of the Ibadan convention.
Meanwhile, another faction of the party has since conducted a separate convention in Abuja, further deepening the leadership dispute within the PDP.
The Supreme Court is also considering a related appeal filed by the party’s national leadership, which is challenging the appellate court’s decision affirming the invalidation of the Ibadan convention.
The outcome of the case is expected to determine the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure ahead of future political activities.
