- Safiu Kehinde
The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment in the appeal filed by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the ongoing leadership tussle with the faction backed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Turaki had approached the apex court, seeking to upturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal which nullified the conduct of November 2025 National Convention at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Justice Lawal Garba who led the five-member panel of Justices announced the reservation of the court’s judgement on the case shortly after lawyers representing parties in the appeal adopted their processes as brief of their arguments, for and against the appeal.
Garba said that the judgment would be delivered on a date to be communicated to all parties in the appeal.
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction had asked apex court to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision invalidating the Ibadan National Convention.
The Turaki group appealed to the apex court, arguing that the matter borders on internal party affairs, which are not justiciable, and that due processes were followed.
Lower courts had ruled against the Turaki faction, nullifying the Ibadan Convention, barring INEC from recognising its outcomes, and restricting access to the national secretariat in some rulings.
The suits by Turaki-led PDP are against two the judgments delivered on March 9 affirming two judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja that ordered the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) not to hold its national convention, until it complied with relevant statutory provisions including the Electoral Act and Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).
According to reports, the federal high court in Abuja had in October 2025 stopped the PDP faction led by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo; and Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi; from going ahead with its national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan.
Justice James Omotosho, the presiding judge, ruled that the evidence before the court showed that the party failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned convention as stipulated in the 1999 constitution and INEC guidelines, as well as its own constitution.
Both judgments by the Court of Appeal were handed down last year by Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu (both of the Federal High Court, Abuja) in two suits filed by four aggrieved members of the PDP.
The first was the judgment delivered on October 31, 2025 by Justice Omotosho in a suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025 filed by three aggrieved members of the party – Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The second was the judgment by Justice Lifu in which the PDP was ordered not to proceed with its planned convention until it afforded a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido the opportunity to prepare and contest as a chairmanship candidate in the elective convention.
Lamido had sued over his exclusion from the national chairmanship contest, which led to Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court issuing orders halting the convention.
He argued that the party denied him the opportunity to purchase the chairmanship nomination form to enable him participate in the convention.
On Nov. 14, 2025 Lifu made a final order restraining the PDP from conducting its national convention.
He held that the evidence before the court established that Lamido was unjustly denied the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest the position of national chairman of the party, in violation of the PDP constitution and its internal regulations.