JUST IN: Supreme Court nullifies PDP Ibadan convention

The Supreme Court has nullified the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, dealing a blow to a faction of the party aligned with former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, SAN.

A five-member panel of the apex court delivered a split verdict on Thursday, with three justices ruling that the appeal brought by the Turaki-led group lacked merit.

The court upheld earlier decisions of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had faulted the conduct of the convention.

In the lead judgment on appeal number SC/CV/164/2026, Justice Stephen Adah ruled that the appellants acted in defiance of an existing order of the Federal High Court that barred them from holding the convention.

The court dismissed the appeal and the accompanying cross-appeals, directing all parties to bear their respective costs.

It noted that the breach of the court order was not contested.

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The justices also backed the position of the lower courts that the faction misused judicial processes by securing a conflicting order from a court of equal jurisdiction in Ibadan after the initial restraining order had already been issued.

Justice Adah emphasised that the lower courts were correct in applying Sections 221, 222, and 229 of the 1999 Constitution, stressing that political parties must adhere strictly to constitutional provisions, electoral laws, and valid court directives in managing their internal affairs.

The case stemmed from a March 9 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the Federal High Court’s earlier decision nullifying the convention and restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising its outcome.

The apex court had reserved its judgment on April 22 after hearing arguments from all parties involved.