The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled in favour of the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party aligned with Nyesom Wike, dismissing the appeal brought by the Sule Lamido–Tanimu Turaki group.
With this judgment, the Wike faction effectively carries the day, consolidating its position within the party’s internal dispute.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the appeal filed by the Turaki-led faction of the PDP, challenging the nullification of the party’s controversial national convention held in Ibadan last year.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the apex court seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal’s ruling which invalidated the PDP national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.
The faction argued before the Supreme Court that the matter was strictly an internal party affair and therefore not justiciable, insisting that all required processes were duly followed in organising the convention.
However, opposing arguments maintained that the lower courts correctly intervened, citing alleged breaches of statutory provisions and the PDP constitution.
The Court of Appeal had earlier upheld two separate Federal High Court judgments which stopped the convention from holding and later nullified its outcome. The appellate court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any resolutions or officers produced at the Ibadan convention.
At the centre of the dispute is a ruling by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who held that the PDP failed to conduct valid state congresses before proceeding with the national convention, in violation of both the 1999 Constitution, INEC guidelines, and the party’s own constitution.
The judgment, delivered on October 31, 2025, followed a suit filed by three aggrieved party members, including Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman), and Turnah Alabh George (South-South PDP Secretary).
The Turaki-led faction has maintained that recent court decisions amounted to interference in internal party affairs, warning that the judiciary should not determine party leadership outcomes.
The apex court decision favoured the faction of the PDP backed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
