A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held on November 15, 2025, declaring the entire exercise and its outcomes invalid.
In a landmark judgment delivered on Friday, January 30, 2026, the court barred members of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki from parading themselves as national officers of the party. The ruling effectively strips the faction of its leadership claims following months of internal legal battles.
The court further ruled that the Caretaker Committee, led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, remains the only legally recognized NWC of the party until a valid National Convention is conducted.
“The Caretaker Committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu is the only recognised NWC of the PDP,” the court stated. It affirmed that any actions taken by the Turaki-led NWC lack legal backing until a properly sanctioned convention is held.
The legal challenge was initiated by aggrieved stakeholders who argued that the Ibadan convention was fundamentally flawed. The plaintiffs contended that the convention committee failed to address critical disputes regarding delegate lists and the conduct of state congresses.
This ruling aligns with a parallel legal effort by a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. In late November 2025, the Abdulrahman and Anyanwu-led group approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that the Ibadan gathering was held in “flagrant disregard” of subsisting court judgments and should be declared “null, void and of no effect.”
The Wike-aligned faction had also sought orders to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies from recognizing any individuals elected or appointed during the contested November convention.
With this judgment, the PDP’s leadership structure reverts to the Caretaker Committee as the party faces renewed pressure to organize a legally sound transition of power.
