By Ayomide Otitoju
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed an appeal filed by the Taminu Turaki-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, affirming the nullification of the party’s 2025 national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a majority judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Stephen Adah held that the convention conducted on November 15 and 16 violated a subsisting order of the Federal High Court issued by Justice James Omotosho.
The apex court criticised the Turaki-led faction for approaching a court of coordinate jurisdiction instead of appealing the earlier ruling, describing the action as an abuse of court process and warning that such conduct carries consequences.
The appellants, through their counsel Paul Erokoro, had urged the court to overturn the Court of Appeal decision that voided the convention. They also sought the dismissal of a cross-appeal filed by a rival faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
However, respondents, including former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, argued that the matter involved disobedience to a valid court order rather than internal party affairs.
Lamido had earlier secured an injunction restraining the party from conducting the convention pending his participation in the contest for national chairman. Despite the order, the convention proceeded and was subsequently voided by both the trial court and the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court upheld the lower courts’ decisions, declaring the convention null and void, and emphasised that political parties must obey court orders as part of their responsibility within a democratic system.
“This court will not lend its machinery to any litigant who abuses the process of the court. This appeal is lacking in merit and is hereby dismissed,” the court ruled.
In a dissenting judgment, Justice Haruna Samani argued that party leadership matters fall within internal party affairs and are not justiciable. This position was supported by Justice Abubakar Umar, who referenced prior rulings on non-justiciable political disputes, though both justices condemned disobedience to court orders.
The Ibadan convention had intensified internal divisions within the PDP, leading to parallel leadership claims. A subsequent convention held in Abuja in March, backed by Wike’s faction, produced Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
