Legal battle over PDP convention moves to Appeal Court

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The Court of Appeal in Abuja will on Thursday, hear a set of appeals challenging the legality of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo state, in November 2025, a development that could ultimately determine the validity of the party’s current national leadership.

A three-member panel led by Mohammed Danjuma is scheduled to consider eight separate appeals arising from judgments delivered by three federal high court judges and one state high court judge, all questioning the convention that produced the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC).

The controversy traces back to a series of conflicting court orders issued in the run-up to the November 15–16, 2025 convention, where 20 members of the NWC were elected.

Those elected included Turaki as national chairman, Hamza Akuyan Koshe as deputy national chairman (north), Daniel Ambrose Woyengikuro as deputy national chairman (south), and Arapaja Taofeek Gbola-Oladejo as national secretary.

The PDP faction loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), did not participate in the convention.

On October 31, 2025, the federal high court in Abuja restrained the PDP from conducting the convention, citing irregularities in the party’s preparatory processes.

“The party failed to conduct valid state congresses ahead of the planned convention, contrary to provisions of the 1999 Constitution, INEC guidelines, and the party’s constitution,” James Omotosho, the presiding judge, held.

However, on November 4, 2025, a high court in Oyo state directed the PDP and Umar Damagum, the party’s former national chairman, to proceed with the convention as scheduled, creating further legal uncertainty around the exercise.

A week later, another federal high court in Abuja again restrained the party from holding the convention over alleged non-compliance with legal and procedural requirements.

“The timetable for the convention was not properly published for party members as required by law,” Justice Peter Lifu ruled.

He added that Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa state who sought to contest for national chairman, “would suffer greater hardship if the interim order was not granted.”

The appellate court hearing is expected to determine whether the convention, and the leadership it produced, complied with constitutional, statutory, and party regulations.

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