PDP Crisis Deepens as Court Voids Ibadan Convention, Restrains Turaki Group

A Federal High Court in Abuja has intensified the ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by barring the Kabiru Turaki-led faction from accessing the party’s national secretariat.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the court invalidated the November 2025 convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, which produced the faction’s leadership. The judge held that the convention was conducted in defiance of a subsisting court order and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withhold recognition of its outcome.

The court also ordered security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Services, to provide protection for the faction aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, enabling them to operate from the party’s headquarters.

The judgment stemmed from a suit filed on November 21, 2025, by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu, who served as interim factional Chairman and Secretary. Supported by Wike, they challenged the legality of the Ibadan convention and sought to stop the Turaki-led group from acting on behalf of the party.

Justice Abdulmalik ruled that the convention held between November 15 and 16, 2025, along with the election of officials and expulsion of members, breached Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the PDP constitution, and existing court rulings.

She stated that the expulsion of members aligned with the plaintiffs was “an affront to subsisting court pronouncements” and “a direct assault to democracy and the rule of law.”

All resolutions and decisions from the convention, including suspensions, were consequently declared unconstitutional, null, and void. The court reaffirmed its authority under Section 287(3) to enforce compliance with judicial orders and stressed that political parties must adhere strictly to their constitutions.

Separately, the legitimacy of a convention organised by the Wike-aligned faction is now before the courts, as a rival bloc backed by Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed intensifies legal action over the party’s leadership.

In a statement issued by Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Makinde-aligned factional National Working Committee, the group disclosed that it had filed processes at the Supreme Court to resolve the dispute.

“With the series of disturbing activities occurring in succession within the last 48 hours, genuine members of the Peoples Democratic Party across the country have expressed concerns and are asking what the future holds for the party and our country’s democracy, by extension,” the statement read.

The faction expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would promptly intervene.

“With this appeal and the relevant concomitant applications filed and served on all the parties involved, we are hopeful that sooner, rather than later, the apex court will, in the interest of democracy, expeditiously hear and adjudicate on this matter,” it added.

It further alleged that the Wike-backed faction proceeded with its convention despite ongoing proceedings at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, where parties had earlier agreed on how the case would be handled.

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