The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday nullified the Peoples Democratic Party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025, dismissing all appeals filed by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the party seeking to validate the exercise.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, delivered judgment in a 3-2 split decision, with Justice Stephen Adah reading the majority ruling that dismissed the appeal marked SC/CV/164/2026.
The ruling is a major blow to the faction backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, and deepens the leadership crisis in Nigeria’s main opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Ibadan convention, held on November 15 and 16, 2025, had produced Turaki as PDP national chairman. It was, however, conducted in defiance of two separate Federal High Court orders.
Justice Peter Lifu had restrained the party from proceeding with the convention until former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido was allowed to purchase nomination forms and contest the national chairmanship, having sued the party over his exclusion.
Separately, Justice James Omotosho had also stopped the convention after finding that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses in 14 states as required by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act and the PDP’s own guidelines.
Despite both orders, the party went ahead with the convention, relying on a contradictory go-ahead from an Oyo State High Court.
The Court of Appeal in March 2026 upheld both lower court rulings, describing the PDP’s conduct as a gross abuse of court process. The Turaki faction subsequently approached the Supreme Court as a last resort.
With Thursday’s judgment, the caretaker committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, remains the recognised PDP leadership pending the conduct of a fresh, lawful national convention.
The ruling comes as INEC has already released its timetable for the 2027 general elections, with party primaries scheduled to run between April and May 2026.
