By Francis Ibeh
ABUJA — The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has worsened following a split decision of the Supreme Court nullifying its Ibadan national convention, with the Kabiru Turaki-led faction warning that the ruling leaves the party without a clear leadership structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
The apex court’s judgment also affirmed the Court of Appeal’s suspension of key party figures, including Ajibade, SAN, and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, further heightening uncertainty within the party.
Reacting to the development, spokesperson of the faction, Ini Ememobong, said the verdict has effectively thrown the PDP into a leadership vacuum, raising concerns about its future direction and the stability of the opposition.
“With this split judgment, the PDP is now left without a clearly defined leadership,” he said.
He, however, expressed optimism that the party’s internal organs would intervene to stabilise the situation.
“We are confident that the Board of Trustees and other statutory organs, including state executives, will take decisive steps to restore order and provide leadership going forward,” Ememobong added.
He cautioned that failure to quickly resolve the crisis could have broader implications for Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
“This places the party on a dangerous path which, if not carefully managed, may impact not only the PDP but the entire democratic system,” he warned.
In its ruling, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, delivered a 3–2 majority decision upholding earlier judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal which voided the Ibadan convention.
The majority justices—Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Mohammed Garba held that the convention was conducted in violation of a valid subsisting court order, noting that the appellants acted in contempt and were therefore not entitled to relief.
However, Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar dissented, insisting that the matter was purely an internal party affair and should not have been adjudicated by the courts.
“The appeals arise from internal affairs of the PDP and are non-justiciable,” the minority ruled.
They further argued that the dispute stemmed from a leadership contest within the party, not from the actions of any government agency, and therefore fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The dissenting justices also faulted the majority for what they described as procedural overreach, warning against raising issues without hearing from the parties involved.
While the judgment settles the legal dispute over the convention, it leaves the PDP grappling with a more urgent political task of rebuilding cohesion, restoring authority, and redefining its leadership structure ahead of future elections.
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