Court of Appeal to Address Appeals Concerning PDP Convention

The Court of Appeal located in Abuja has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, February 12, regarding multiple legal challenges related to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention that took place last November in Ibadan, Oyo State.

A panel of three judges, led by Mohammed Danjuma, will review eight distinct appeals questioning the legitimacy of the convention that resulted in the election of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.

According to reports from Vanguard newspaper, these appeals arose from a series of court decisions concerning whether the convention could proceed, which created a significant legal dispute within the party. However, details concerning how the Court of Appeal arranged the hearing and informed the involved parties about the date remain undisclosed.

On October 31 of the prior year, the Federal High Court in Abuja determined that the proposed national convention contravened several legal statutes, including the Nigerian Constitution and the regulations set forth by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The ruling stated that the PDP had failed to conduct proper state congresses before organizing the national convention.

Judge James Omotosho issued an order halting the convention and preventing INEC from overseeing it. Shortly thereafter, another judge in Ibadan instructed the PDP and its then-national chairman to move forward with the convention and authorized INEC to monitor it.

Nevertheless, on November 11, 2025, another judge from the Federal High Court in Abuja, Peter Lifu, again prohibited the PDP from proceeding with the convention. This injunction was made in response to a lawsuit filed by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who contended that he was denied the opportunity to acquire nomination forms for the national chairmanship.

Despite the dual injunctions from the Federal High Court in Abuja against the convention, the Turaki-led faction conducted the event between November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, where delegates elected a new NWC, with Mr. Turaki at the helm.

However, INEC refused to acknowledge the leadership established by Turaki, citing ongoing legal proceedings that barred the commission from modifying or acting upon the list of national officers.

Following this, the faction led by Turaki initiated legal action seeking formal recognition of the Ibadan convention and the validation of the elected NWC. The Federal High Court in Ibadan, however, chose to nullify the entire event instead.

The ruling condemned the convention for operating in