The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Tanimu Turaki, effectively affirming the dominance of the camp aligned with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in the party’s protracted leadership crisis.
In its ruling, the apex court upheld earlier decisions nullifying the PDP’s disputed national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025, dealing a significant blow to the Turaki-led bloc, which had sought to overturn the verdict of the Court of Appeal.
The appellants had argued that the dispute was strictly an internal party affair and therefore not subject to judicial intervention.
They maintained that due process was followed in organising the convention.
However, the court found no merit in the appeal, thereby reinforcing the position taken by lower courts, which had ruled against the validity of the exercise.
The controversy stems from a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who held that the PDP failed to conduct valid state congresses before proceeding with its national convention, contrary to provisions of the 1999 Constitution, guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the party’s constitution.
The Federal High Court had in October 2025, restrained the party from conducting the convention, and subsequently nullified its outcome after it went ahead with the exercise.
Read also:
- Supreme Court reserves judgment in Turaki’s appeal over PDP leadership crisis
- PDP crisis: Turaki’s faction heads to Supreme Court ahead Sunday’s national convention
- PDP National Secretariat to reopen amid Wike, Turaki dispute
The Court of Appeal later affirmed the decision and further barred the INEC from recognising any officials or resolutions emanating from the convention.
The suit that triggered the legal battle was instituted by aggrieved party members, including Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Abraham Nnanna and Turnah Alabh George.
With the Supreme Court’s verdict, the Wike-backed faction has now consolidated its hold on the party structure, as the judiciary appears to have drawn a line under the contentious leadership dispute.
The Turaki-led group had consistently warned against what it described as judicial interference in party affairs, but Thursday’s ruling signals a decisive legal endorsement of the opposing camp.
