Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in the city in November 2025.
The judgment followed a suit filed by a faction of the party led by Taminu Turaki (SAN), marked FHC/IB/CS/121/2025, which sought judicial recognition of the convention held on November 15, 2025, and validation of the National Working Committee (NWC) that emerged from it.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Agomoh held that the convention was conducted in flagrant disobedience of two subsisting judgments of the same court. He described the attempt to seek judicial approval for actions taken in defiance of court orders as futile.
Consequently, the court set aside all decisions taken at the convention and restrained Turaki and others who emerged as NWC members from parading themselves as such.
The judge ruled that the PDP caretaker committee, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu, remains the only recognised National Working Committee of the party pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
“This suit is a brazen attempt by the applicant to legitimise its illegalities done in violation of subsisting court orders. I cannot allow that or sit on appeal over those judgments,” Justice Agomoh said.
“I hold that the caretaker committee is the only lawful governing body of the PDP that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should recognise and relate with. The application fails and is hereby dismissed.”
The ruling followed earlier conflicting court orders over the convention. On November 14, 2025, a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, ordered the suspension of the convention in a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido.
Lamido had challenged the process, alleging that he was denied the opportunity to purchase a nomination form to contest for the party’s chairmanship, in violation of the PDP constitution and guidelines.
However, prior to that, an Oyo State High Court, presided over by Justice A. L. Akintola, had directed the party to proceed with preparations for the convention and ordered INEC to monitor the exercise pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Boost for democracy
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the PDP Caretaker Committee, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), described the ruling as a boost for Nigeria’s democracy.
Orbih said the claimants had sought judicial endorsement of what he termed an illegal convention, but the court firmly rejected the move. He added that the judgment reaffirmed the supremacy of the rule of law over political expediency and completely nullified all structures and actions arising from the Ibadan convention.
According to him, the decision underscored the inevitability of the caretaker committee managing the party’s affairs until a valid convention is conducted in line with the law.
He warned that disregard for court judgments by political actors could lead to chaos.
Turaki-led group to appeal
Meanwhile, the Turaki-led faction has vowed to challenge the ruling.
In a statement, its spokesman, Ini Ememobong, said the group had instructed its lawyers to immediately file an appeal and pursue all available legal options.
“We have accordingly briefed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal and take all further legal steps necessary to advance our arguments and firmly protect our position on this matter,” Ememobong said.
He maintained that the leadership which emerged from the Ibadan convention remains valid and legally intact, pending a final determination by the appellate courts.
