Nigeria’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has wiped out the Peoples Democratic Party convention held in Ibadan in November 2025, throwing out every appeal filed by the faction led by Tanimu Turaki that tried to make the gathering valid.
A five member panel of the court led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba delivered the judgment in a split 3 to 2 decision. Justice Stephen Adah read the majority ruling, which dismissed the appeal identified as SC CV 164 2026.
This decision hits hard on the faction supported by Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, making the leadership struggle inside Nigeria’s main opposition party even worse as the country moves closer to the 2027 general elections.
The disputed convention took place on November 15 and 16 2025 in Ibadan and produced Turaki as national chairman. But the event went ahead despite two separate orders from the Federal High Court stopping it.
Justice Peter Lifu had ordered the party not to hold the convention until former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido was allowed to buy nomination forms and run for national chairman after challenging his exclusion in court.
In another ruling, Justice James Omotosho also blocked the convention after finding that the party failed to carry out proper state congresses in 14 states as required by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act and the party’s own rules.
Even with these court orders, the party still went ahead with the convention, relying on a conflicting approval from an Oyo State High Court.
In March 2026, the Court of Appeal Nigeria backed the earlier rulings and described the party’s actions as a serious misuse of court process. The Turaki faction then moved to the Supreme Court as its final option.
With this latest judgment, the caretaker committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and supported by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike remains the officially recognised leadership of the party until a fresh and lawful national convention is conducted.
The ruling comes at a critical time as the Independent National Electoral Commission has already announced the schedule for the 2027 general elections, with party primaries set to take place between April and May 2026, adding pressure on the party to quickly resolve its internal crisis.
