By Amah
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A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan has nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in Oyo State on November 15, 2025, dealing a decisive legal setback to one faction of the party’s leadership and strengthening forces aligned with former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.
In a ruling that reshapes the PDP’s internal power structure, the court barred members of the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) from presenting themselves as the party’s national officers, declaring their emergence from the Ibadan convention unlawful.
The court further recognised the Caretaker Committee headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the sole legitimate National Working Committee of the PDP, pending the conduct of a fresh national convention that complies with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines.
The judgment marks the latest escalation in a long-running leadership crisis that has plagued the PDP since its loss of federal power. Competing factions within the party have battled for control of its national structures, triggering a wave of litigations, suspensions, and parallel political manoeuvres.
The Ibadan convention was convened amid fierce resistance from key stakeholders, who argued that it breached internal party rules and deepened factional fault lines rather than resolving them.
The judgment is the latest development in the deepening leadership crisis that has fractured the PDP since its defeat in the 2023 general elections. Rival factions within the party have been locked in a prolonged power struggle over control of the NWC, with court actions, parallel conventions, and suspensions worsening internal divisions.
The ruling is widely seen as a significant victory for the Wike-aligned faction, which has consistently challenged the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention and pushed for a caretaker arrangement to stabilise the party while positioning itself ahead of the PDP’s internal realignments and the 2027 electoral cycle.
Party reactions and possible appeals are expected as the implications of the judgment continue to unfold.
