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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Monday upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court nullifying the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan between November 15 and 16, 2025.
In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the appellate court affirmed the earlier ruling delivered by Justice James Omotosho which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the convention.
Delivering the lead judgment, the court held that the PDP failed to comply with statutory and constitutional requirements before conducting the convention.
“The appellants did not demonstrate compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution governing the conduct of congresses and conventions,” the panel held.
The court noted that valid congresses were not conducted in several states ahead of the convention and that the mandatory notice to INEC was not properly issued as required by law.
The convention had produced a factional leadership for the party, including the emergence of former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as national chairman.
But the appellate court rejected the argument by the Turaki-led faction that the dispute was purely an internal affair of the party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
According to the panel, the matter involved compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution, issues the court said fall squarely within its adjudicatory powers.
“The dispute transcends internal party affairs because it raises questions about compliance with statutory provisions regulating political parties,” the court ruled.
Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal filed by the Turaki faction and affirmed the lower court’s judgment invalidating the convention, while also awarding costs against the appellants.
The suit was originally filed by aggrieved PDP members: Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Abraham Nnanna and Turnah Alabh George who challenged the legality of the convention on the grounds that the party failed to follow laid-down procedures before convening the gathering.
The judgment is expected to further complicate the leadership crisis rocking the PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, as rival factions continue to battle for control of the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.