S’Court reserves judgment in PDP leadership dispute

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday, reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, challenging the nullification of its 2025 national convention.

A five-member panel led by Justice Lawal Garba announced that a date for judgment would be communicated to all parties after counsel adopted their final written addresses.

The Turaki faction is seeking to overturn the March 9 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed earlier decisions invalidating the party’s Ibadan convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.

At the apex court, the faction argued that the dispute falls within internal party affairs and is therefore not justiciable, insisting that due process was followed in organising the convention.

nonetheless, lower courts had consistently ruled against the group, nullifying the exercise, restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising its outcome, and issuing orders affecting access to the party’s national secretariat.

The appellate court had upheld two judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the PDP from conducting the convention pending compliance with the Electoral Act and the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.

In one of the decisions, Justice James Omotosho held that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses as required by law and its constitution, thereby invalidating the planned convention.

Similarly, Justice Peter Lifu restrained the party from proceeding with the convention until it allowed former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, to participate in the national chairmanship race after finding he was unjustly excluded.

The suits leading to the rulings were instituted by aggrieved party members, including state executives from Imo, Abia, and the South-South zone, setting the stage for the protracted leadership crisis now before the apex court.