UPDATED: Appeal Court invalidates PDP's Ibadan convention, bars INEC from recognising Turaki team's leadership

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Monday, upheld the decisions of the Federal High Court in Abuja invalidating the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan, Oyo State, between 15 and 16 November 2025.

In its judgement, a three-member panel of the court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of the Taminu Turaki’s leadership of the party.

Apart from electing the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), the convention also suspended some allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over alleged anti-party activities.

Those suspended included the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade. Also suspended were Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha, and the National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature.

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The appeals stemmed mainly from separate decisions handed down last year by two Federal High Court judges in Abuja – James Omotosho and Peter Lifu. There were also counter-decisions from the Oyo State High Court and, more recently, the Federal High Court in Ibadan, regarding the disputed convention.

Despite the rulings stopping the convention ahead of the scheduled date, the organisers proceeded with it in Ibadan, Oyo State, between 15 and 16 November 2025, producing Mr Turaki as national chairperson of the PDP, alongside other national officers.

However, displeased with the decisions, the Turaki faction approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit seeking to stop the party’s planned national convention scheduled for 15 and 16 November last year in Ibadan.

The Court of Appeal’s three-member panel of the panel unanimously dismissed the appeals on Monday.

The court also awarded N2 million as cost against the appellants comprising Mr Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The court held that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the case, rejecting the argument by the Turaki faction that the dispute was purely an internal affair of the party.

The panel said the appellants could not “repackage a clear violation of the party constitution and that of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an internal party affair.”

Delivering the lead judgement of the Court of Appeal on Monday, Judge Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that the PDP violated constitutional provisions required before such a convention could become valid.

He said no valid notice of the convention was served on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as required by law.

The judge held that the case of the aggrieved PDP members who instituted the suit against the party was not about internal party affairs as erroneously argued.

He said they rather filed the suit to compel INEC to comply with its statutory functions in relation to party conventions.

The appellate court also noted that valid congresses were not held in more than 14 states as required by law before the 2025 convention was conducted.

Having failed to comply with the relevant laws, the court said the Federal High Court was right in assuming jurisdiction and granting a restraining order against INEC from accepting or recognising the outcome of the PDP 2025 national convention.

“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and party constitution and guidelines are at the heart of democratic governance, and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the judge said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that on 13 February, the Court of Appeal in Abuja reserved judgement after hearing multiple appeals filed by rival factions challenging conflicting Federal High Court decisions on the convention.

Backstory

Those suspended at the controversial convention of the party in Ibadan had challenged the action in court.

On 22 December 2025, INEC rejected requests by the Mr Turaki-led NWC for recognition.

INEC said it could not recognise the team as the party’s NWC in the face of the rulings of the Federal High Court in Abuja in October and November 2025, barring it from giving effect to the outcome of the Ibadan convention.

On 31 October last year, the Federal High Court, Abuja, halted the PDP national convention scheduled to be held in Ibadan.

The court gave the ruling in a suit filed by some aggrieved members of PDP who were against the convention on the grounds of violation of the Nigerian Constitution, INEC guidelines and the PDP constitution.

In agreement with the the applicants, the judge, Mr Omotosho, ruled that the planned national convention could not be validly held because the party had not first conducted valid state congresses.

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He stopped the convention and barred INEC from supervising it.

Days later, another judge of the High Court in Ibadan, directed the PDP and its then national chairman to proceed with the convention and asked INEC to monitor it.

But on 11 November 2025, another Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Peter Lifu, again restrained the PDP from holding the convention.

The order came in a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who argued that he was denied the opportunity to purchase nomination forms to contest for the party’s national chairmanship.

Despite the two orders from the Federal High Court in Abuja blocking the convention, the organisers proceeded with the exercise on between 15 and 16 November in Ibadan, where delegates elected a new NWC now headed by Mr Turaki.

INEC later refused to recognise the Mr Turaki-led group, citing subsisting court orders and ongoing litigation that barred the it from updating or acting on the list of national officers.

Following this, the Turaki-led faction filed a suit seeking recognition of the Ibadan convention and validation of the elected NWC. But the Federal High Court in Ibadan instead nullified the convention late last month.

The judge ruled that the conversation was held in “flagrant disobedience” to existing judgements, and that the caretaker committee remained the recognised leadership until a valid convention was held.

Monday’s judgement is the first decisive pronouncement of an appellate court on the controversial convention, after months of conflicting decisions at the High Court level in Abuja and Ibadan.

Aggrieved sides are expected to appeal against the judgement at the Supreme Court, which will eventually give the final decision that will lay the dispute to rest.