Judicial ruling restricts Turaki-led PDP splinter group's access to party headquarters

The Federal High Court in Abuja has taken a significant step in the ongoing internal crisis of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by barring the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction from accessing the party's national secretariat.

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This decision was made in a judgment delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, which also nullified the convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025, that led to the emergence of the Turaki-led national executives.

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The court specifically restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognizing the outcome of the Ibadan convention, citing that it was conducted in defiance of a subsisting court order.

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In a contrasting move, the court ordered security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Services, to provide protection for the faction aligned with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, to access and operate from the party's national headquarters.

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This judgment came as a result of a suit lodged before the court on November 21, 2025, by the then interim factional Chairman and Secretary of the party, Mohammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu, respectively, who are backed by Wike.

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The plaintiffs had challenged the legality of the Ibadan convention and applied for an order to restrain the Turaki-led group from representing the party in any capacity, citing violations of the party's constitution and prior court orders.

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Justice Abdulmalik held that the Ibadan convention, including the election of party officials and expulsion of some notable members, violated section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as the party's constitution.

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The court ruled that the expulsion of members belonging to the plaintiffs' camp was an affront to subsisting court pronouncements and a direct assault on democracy and the rule of law.

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Consequently, the court invalidated all proceedings, resolutions, and decisions reached at the Ibadan convention, declaring them unconstitutional, unlawful, null, and void, and of no effect.

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According to the court, Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, empowers it to enforce valid orders made by courts in the country, and political parties are bound to operate within the provisions of their constitutions.

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The Makinde camp has stated that the courts will decide the validity of the Wike-backed PDP convention, as the dispute has moved beyond internal party wrangling and is now a constitutional issue.

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This constitutional issue will determine not just who leads the PDP but also test the limits of judicial intervention in party affairs, as tensions deepen over legitimacy and control of party structures.

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In a statement by Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the factional PDP National Working Committee aligned with Makinde, the group said it had taken the matter to court, including filing processes at the Supreme Court, to resolve all issues surrounding the party's leadership and the disputed convention.

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The group expressed concerns over the future of the party and the country's democracy, citing a series of disturbing activities occurring within the last 48 hours.

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The Makinde-backed faction has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court alongside other applications and served all parties involved, hoping that the apex court will expeditiously hear and adjudicate on the matter in the interest of democracy.

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The group accused the Wike-backed faction of proceeding with the convention despite ongoing proceedings at the Court of Appeal (Ibadan Division), where parties had already agreed on how the matter would proceed.