A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan has annulled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in the Oyo State capital on November 15–16, 2025, declaring its outcomes null and void and barring its purported leaders from exercising authority.
In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Uche Agomoh ruled that the convention was conducted in flagrant violation of existing court orders and party guidelines, which rendered the exercise unlawful and its decisions invalid. The court found that the event was held despite subsisting legal restraints and internal irregularities, invalidating all offices and actions emerging from that gathering.
The judgment also restrained Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other officials elected at the Ibadan convention from parading themselves as national officers of the PDP. Instead, the court affirmed that the Caretaker Committee headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary is currently the only legally recognised National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. This leadership will continue to manage the PDP’s affairs pending the conduct of a valid and constitutionally compliant national convention.
The ruling marks a significant legal victory for the faction aligned with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, which had challenged the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention shortly after it was held. The Wike-backed group had previously filed a suit seeking the nullification of the convention and its results, arguing that the process was illegal and violated the party’s constitution.
In reaction to the judgment, counsel for the PDP Caretaker Committee described the outcome as a boost for the rule of law and internal party democracy, emphasising that the PDP must operate strictly within legal and constitutional frameworks going forward.
However, the Turaki-led faction intends to appeal the decision. In a statement issued following the ruling, the group’s spokesperson said lawyers have been briefed to pursue all necessary legal steps, asserting that the party remains “legally intact and unshaken” as it awaits the appellate court’s pronouncement.
The judgment adds a fresh and dramatic chapter to the protracted crisis engulfing Nigeria’s main opposition party, which has seen rival factions contest leadership authority since 2023, with legal battles increasingly shaping the party’s trajectory ahead of the 2027 general elections.
