A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State on Friday delivered a dramatic ruling that has plunged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into deeper crisis, nullifying the controversial National Convention held in Ibadan on November 15, 2025 and barring those elected at that gathering from claiming party leadership.
In a judgment widely reported across Nigerian media, the court held that the Ibadan convention was conducted in flagrant disregard of existing legal orders and party guidelines, rendering the entire exercise and its outcomes null and void. The ruling directly challenges the legitimacy of the convention at which Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and his slate of officers were elected to lead the PDP.
Justice Uche Agomoh, who presided over the matter, noted that the process leading to and including the November convention violated subsisting court orders, including directives that sought to regulate the party’s internal affairs ahead of the gathering. As a result, all decisions taken at the Ibadan convention, including the election of national officers have been set aside by the court.
Significantly, the judgment barred Turaki and others associated with the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the PDP, meaning that they cannot lawfully represent the party or take official decisions on its behalf. This has intensified the leadership tussle that has gripped the party since the failed convention and various court challenges earlier in the dispute.
To prevent a leadership vacuum, the court ruled that the PDP Caretaker Committee, led by Mohammed Abdulrahman with Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, remains the only recognised National Working Committee (NWC) until a valid, constitutionally compliant convention is held. This effectively maintains the caretaker leadership in charge of party affairs pending a lawful process to elect new leaders.
The nullification judgment was welcomed by some party stakeholders aligned with the caretaker committee, who argued that the Ibadan process was marred by procedural irregularities and legal breaches that undermined its credibility. Critics of the convention had also pointed to conflicting court orders including rulings from Abuja that sought to halt the exercise prior to its commencement.
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The Ibadan convention itself was marked by sharp disagreements over zoning, delegate accreditation, and allegations of last‑minute manoeuvres by rival blocs, factors that contributed to factional tensions within the party. Despite the controversies, the gathering produced a new leadership slate which now faces legal invalidation following the court’s ruling.
The crisis reflects deeper turbulence within the PDP, which followed its underwhelming performance in previous elections and longstanding internal divisions between competing power blocs. With the court’s judgment now in force, the party must navigate complex legal and political terrain to reorganise its leadership ahead of critical electoral contests.
As the PDP absorbs the impact of the decision, party watchers say appeals or further litigation are likely, but for now the caretaker committee’s hold on leadership remains unchallenged in law.
