By Omoyeni Ojeifo
A major legal blow has hit a faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the Supreme Court in Abuja on Thursday invalidated the party’s National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025.
Persecondnews reports that the apex court, in a split decision by a five member panel, held that the appeal filed by the faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, lacked merit and affirmed the concurrent judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier nullified the convention over procedural breaches.
Delivering the lead judgment in appeal number SC/CV/164/2026, Justice Stephen Adah ruled that the appellants violated a subsisting order of the Federal High Court restraining them from proceeding with the convention.
The court consequently dismissed both the appeal and cross appeals, directing parties to bear their respective costs.
It further held that the disobedience of the court order was not in dispute and agreed with the lower courts that the faction abused court processes by obtaining a counter order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction in Ibadan after an earlier restraining order had been issued.
Justice Adah also noted that the lower courts were right in relying on Sections 221, 222, and 229 of the 1999 Constitution, stressing that political parties must strictly comply with constitutional provisions, electoral regulations, and valid court orders in the conduct of their conventions and internal affairs.
The appeal had challenged the March 9 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court nullifying the convention and restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising its outcome.
Judgment in the case had been reserved by the apex court, following arguments on April 22.
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