Turaki-led PDP NWC Hails Oyo High Court

The Peoples Democratic Party faction led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) has applauded the Oyo State High Court for upholding the legitimacy of the party’s National Convention held in Ibadan in November 2025.

In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) described the court’s ruling as a victory for internal democracy and party unity.

Justice Ladiran Akintola of Court 5, sitting in Ibadan, affirmed the validity of the PDP National Convention conducted on November 15 and 16, 2025, where Turaki was elected to chair the NWC. The judgment followed a ruling on an application for joinder and granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, who was represented by Musbau Adetunmbi (SAN).

According to the party, the court declared the convention properly conducted and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise and give effect to all decisions reached at the gathering, having found them lawful and consistent with the PDP constitution and Nigerian law.

The statement noted that the suit was instituted to safeguard the claimant’s constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and association. It also sought orders compelling the PDP to hold its elections as advertised and requiring INEC to acknowledge the convention’s outcomes. The court had earlier issued interim orders on November 3 and renewed them on November 14, providing the legal backing for the convention to proceed.

Welcoming the latest judgment, the Turaki-led NWC said it reaffirmed confidence in the judiciary as an impartial arbiter and pledged to pursue all lawful avenues to ensure justice is upheld. The faction expressed optimism that appellate courts would sustain the ruling without bias.

The development comes amid an ongoing leadership crisis within the PDP. On January 30, a Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the same November 15 convention and restrained Turaki and other officials from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.

Before that decision, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which marked the transition from former chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of the expiration of Damagum’s tenure on December 9.

However, a rival camp loyal to Nyesom Wike constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, naming Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting Secretary, with a 60-day mandate.

Tensions escalated when attempts by both factions to meet at the party’s Wadata Plaza headquarters on November 18 reportedly turned violent, prompting the police to seal the national secretariat.

Both sides subsequently sought recognition from INEC, but the electoral body declined to recognise either faction, deepening the legal tussle as the 2027 general elections approach.

Meanwhile, the Wike-backed caretaker committee announced plans to hold a fresh National Convention in Abuja from March 29 to 30. On February 12, the Court of Appeal heard consolidated suits relating to the leadership dispute and reserved judgment, with a date for its decision yet to be announced.