The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a new turn on Friday as the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan affirmed the legitimacy of the party’s National Convention held in November 2025, which produced a National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN).
Delivering judgment, Justice Ladiran Akintola of Court 5 upheld all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, in a suit challenging the validity of the convention conducted on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.
The court declared the convention properly conducted and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and give full effect to the decisions and outcomes reached at the gathering.
The claimant, a card-carrying PDP member, had approached the court through his counsel, Musbau Adetunmbi (SAN), seeking orders to compel the party to conduct its elections as publicly advertised and to direct INEC to honour the outcomes of the convention.
According to the judgment, the court had earlier granted interim orders on November 3 and renewed them on November 14, 2025, providing the legal foundation upon which the convention proceeded. Friday’s ruling, the court held, affirms and gives final effect to those earlier orders.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the Turaki-led NWC described the judgment as a triumph for internal democracy and party cohesion.
“The court granted all the reliefs sought by the claimant, declaring the National Convention held in Ibadan as properly conducted and directing INEC to recognise and give full effect to all decisions and outcomes reached at the said convention,” the statement read.
The faction commended the court for what it termed courage and fidelity to justice, reiterating confidence in the judiciary as the ultimate arbiter in political disputes.
It also pledged to continue exploring lawful avenues to ensure justice is upheld through the appellate process.
The latest ruling, however, deepens the leadership tussle within the party.
On January 30, the Federal High Court in Ibadan annulled the same convention and restrained Turaki and other officials from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
The November convention had earlier been endorsed by PDP governors, who supervised the transition from former acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9.
In a parallel move, a faction loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting Secretary, with a 60-day mandate.
Attempts by both camps to assert control of the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja reportedly degenerated into physical confrontations on November 18, prompting police authorities to seal the premises.
Both factions subsequently sought recognition from INEC, but the commission declined to endorse either side, triggering a series of legal battles that now threaten to shape the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
Amid the ongoing dispute, the Wike-backed caretaker committee announced plans to hold a fresh National Convention in Abuja between March 29 and 30 to elect new party leaders.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal on February 12 heard consolidated appeals relating to the PDP leadership crisis and has reserved judgment, with a date for the ruling to be communicated to the parties.
The unfolding judicial decisions are expected to determine the ultimate leadership structure of the PDP and its strategic direction ahead of the next electoral cycle.
