The national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, has rejected the judgement of the appeal court, nullifying the national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo.
In a ruling on Monday, the court of appeal upheld the judgment of a federal high court, which restrained the PDP from conducting the national convention.
A three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging the jurisdiction of the Abuja federal high court to entertain the suit.
Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who delivered the lead judgment, held that the PDP violated constitutional provisions governing the conduct of a convention and failed to serve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with a valid notice as required by law.
The appellate court also held that congresses were not held in more than 14 states, as provided by law, before the event.
Onyemenam ruled that the matter raised by those who filed the suit at the high court should not be regarded as internal affairs of the party and that the lower court was right in assuming jurisdiction and granting an order restraining the electoral umpire from accepting or recognising the outcome of the national convention.
In a statement issued after the verdict, Ini Ememobong, PDP spokesperson of the Turaki faction, said the party’s lawyers have been directed to file an appeal against the judgement at the supreme court.
“The operationalisation of this judgement will, without fail, work untold hardship on our members,” the statement reads.
“To avert this, while we are consulting with critical organs of our party on the way forward, we have also instructed our lawyers to immediately take legal steps to appeal same to the Supreme Court, being the apex court in the land, to conclusively adjudicate on this matter.”
Ememobong said the party is hopeful that the apex court will “expeditiously settle this matter in the interest of democracy”.
The PDP spokesperson urged party members to be united, adding that the legal battle will soon be over and they will be “more than conquerors”.
Ememobong said the PDP must be rescued “from the hands of government agents masquerading as opposition leaders”.
