Ibadan convention: Turaki-led faction rejects Appeal Court ruling, heads to Supreme Court

They’re free to approach Apex Court —Mohammed-led NWC

Judgment provides opportunity to rebuild party, says Wike

STEPHEN GBADAMOSI, IBADAN

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has rejected the judgement of the Appeal Court, nullifying the national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The faction also said the party’s lawyers have been directed to file an appeal against the judgement at the Supreme Court.

Recall that the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja delivered by justice James Omotosho which stopped the PDP’s November 15 and 16 national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State that produced Tanimu Turaki, as the national chairman of the party.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, chaired by Mohammed Danjuma, agreed with the lower court that there was no proper conduct of congresses before the convention.

The also dismissed the argument of Turaki faction that the issues bordered on internal affairs of the party.

Earlier in the judgment, the panel dismissed the argument of the PDP faction led by Tanimu Turaki that the Federal High Court judge, Justice James Omotosho, lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit against the Ibadan convention on the grounds that the issues bordered on internal affairs of the party.

The preliminary objections raised by the respondents, faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that Chris Uche was not a proper legal counsel to represent PDP was dismissed by the court on the grounds that the former PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, was suspended by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

But in a statement issued after the verdict, Ini Ememobong, PDP spokesperson of the Turaki faction, said the party’s lawyers have been directed to file an appeal against the judgement at the Supreme Court.

“The operationalisation of this judgement will, without fail, work untold hardship on our members.

 “To avert this, while we are consulting with critical organs of our party on the way forward, we have also instructed our lawyers to immediately take legal steps to appeal same to the Supreme Court, being the apex court in the land, to conclusively adjudicate on this matter,” the statement reads.

Ememobong said the party is hopeful that the apex court will “expeditiously settle this matter in the interest of democracy”.

The PDP spokesperson urged party members to be united, adding that the legal battle will soon be over and they will be “more than conquerors”.

Ememobong said the PDP must be rescued “from the hands of government agents masquerading as opposition leaders”.

Meanwhile, National Publicity Secretary of the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee, Haruna Mohammed, said that the Tanimu Turaki side of the party was free to approach the Supreme Court if it felt dissatisfied by the Court of Appeal judgment that nullified the November 2025 national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.

He disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Monday.

“In compliance with Justice Omotosho’s judgment, we have carried out our ward congresses and local government congresses. We would hold our state congresses on Saturday.

“I can also tell you and members of the party that our national convention is coming up on 29, 30. We are holding our NEC meeting by Wednesday by the grace of God,” Mohammed said.

“They want to go to the Supreme Court, no problem. It is the same Supreme Court that, three days to the area council election, delivered a landmark judgement regarding the issues of internal affairs of a political party. The Supreme Court said that the issues of internal party affairs are not absolute,” he added.

In related development, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the judgment of the Court of Appeal affirming the nullification of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan provides an opportunity for the party to rebuild and restore unity among its members.

Wike, who spoke with journalists in Abuja on Monday, maintained that the ruling confirmed that the convention conducted by the PDP in November 2025 could not stand because the party failed to comply with statutory provisions guiding such exercises.

According to him, the court’s decision reaffirmed the need for political parties to strictly adhere to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, as well as their internal rules and guidelines.

“When you do not comply with what the law says, it cannot stand. It does not matter who is chairman or who is not chairman. What matters is compliance with the law,” Wike said.

The minister explained that the court established that necessary procedures, including the conduct of valid congresses in some states and proper notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were not followed before the convention was held.

He added that once such legal requirements are ignored, the matter goes beyond internal party affairs and becomes an issue of compliance with the law.

While reacting to the judgment, Wike described the development as a significant moment for the party, saying it reaffirmed the supremacy of due process and the rule of law.

“Today is one of my happiest days because, as a party that claims to uphold democratic principles, we must not condone impunity. We must follow due process and allow the rule of law to prevail,” he said.

Wike recalled that he had earlier warned that steps taken in violation of the law would eventually be set aside by the courts.

“You cannot rely on money or power and assume that because you are a governor or a powerful figure you can do anything. I thank God that the law has spoken,” he added.

The FCT minister urged members of the PDP to use the judgment as an opportunity to rebuild unity within the party rather than prolong internal disputes through legal battles.

“For me, it is an opportunity for the party to come back together. We have fought enough. It is time to drop personal interests and see how we can move the party forward,” he said.

Wike stressed the need for the PDP to remain strong as a credible opposition party in the country.

“The PDP remains the only strong opposition party we have. What we should be doing now is to put our house in order so that the party can continue to play its role effectively,” he said.

He further explained that with the court affirming the invalidity of the Ibadan convention, the leadership structure that emerged from the exercise could no longer be recognised.

According to him, the party had already constituted a caretaker arrangement to manage its affairs pending the conduct of a valid national convention.

He disclosed that the PDP leadership is working towards organising a fresh national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30, 2026, where new national officers would be elected in accordance with the law and the party’s constitution.

Wike said the convention would be held at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, adding that arrangements had already been concluded for the exercise.

“We have already established the National Caretaker Committee. When the tenure of the National Working Committee expired, we said the law does not allow for a vacuum. The caretaker committee was recognised by the Federal High Court to run the party until new officers are elected,” he said.