By Paul Joseph
Nigeria’s apex court has nullified the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan in November 2025, ruling that the exercise violated existing court orders.
In a split 3–2 decision delivered on Thursday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared the convention where the Kabiru Turaki-led leadership emerged invalid, citing the party’s failure to comply with judicial directives issued prior to the gathering.
The majority judgment, led by Justice Stephen Adah, held that the PDP acted in “flagrant disobedience” of subsisting court orders that required certain conditions to be met before proceeding with the convention.
The court criticized the party’s decision to seek alternative rulings from another High Court rather than obey existing orders, describing the move as an abuse of court process.
Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, in a concurring majority opinion, echoed the position, reinforcing the view that the party’s conduct undermined judicial authority.
However, the minority judgment, delivered by Justice Haruna Tsammani, took a different stance.
He ruled that the dispute stemmed from internal party affairs specifically a complaint about denial of nomination forms and therefore fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
Justice Tsammani further argued that the Federal High Court lacked the authority to entertain the initial suit against the PDP, as it is not a government agency.
Justice Abubakar Umar aligned with the minority view.
The rulings arose from two appeals filed by the PDP challenging earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal, which had upheld decisions of the Federal High Court in Abuja invalidating the convention.
The judgment marks a significant legal setback for the PDP, with implications for its leadership structure and internal processes.
Leave a Reply