Supreme Court Reserves Verdict in PDP Convention Crisis Appeal

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment in the ongoing leadership dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following an appeal filed by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction challenging the nullification of the party’s 2025 national convention.

The apex court, sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, adjourned the matter for judgment after hearing final arguments from all parties. A five-member panel headed by Justice Lawal Garba disclosed that a date for the ruling would be communicated in due course.

The Turaki-led faction is asking the court to overturn the March 9 decision of the Court of Appeal, which upheld earlier rulings invalidating the PDP’s Ibadan convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.

Before the Supreme Court, the faction maintained that the matter was purely internal and should not be subjected to judicial scrutiny. It argued that the organisation of the convention complied with due process and party guidelines.

Despite these claims, both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had ruled against the faction, nullifying the convention and issuing orders restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising its outcome.

The appellate court had affirmed two separate judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which also restricted the party’s access to its national secretariat and barred it from proceeding with the convention until it complied with the Electoral Act and the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.

In one of the earlier rulings, Justice James Omotosho held that the PDP failed to conduct valid state congresses in line with both its constitution and electoral requirements, thereby rendering the convention invalid.

Similarly, Justice Peter Lifu issued an order stopping the exercise, directing the party to allow former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, to contest the national chairmanship position after determining that he had been unfairly excluded from the process.

The legal battle was triggered by suits filed by aggrieved party members, including state executives from Imo, Abia, and the South-South region, escalating into a prolonged leadership crisis that now awaits final determination by the Supreme Court.

With judgment reserved, the fate of the PDP’s disputed convention—and by extension, its leadership structure—now hinges on the apex court’s ruling, which is expected to shape the party’s direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.