Supreme Court to hear PDP leadership appeals April 22 ‎

‎The Supreme Court has fixed April 22 to hear two separate appeals filed by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The faction is seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision invalidating the Ibadan National Convention held on November 15-16, 2025.
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‎A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Lawal Garba, granted the Turaki faction’s application for accelerated hearing and departure from the rules to abridge the time for filing briefs of argument.
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‎In the first appeal, filed by the Turaki-led group against the PDP faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the court ordered that hearing notices be served on Mohammed Abdulrahman, the seventh respondent, who was not represented when the matter came up on Tuesday.
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‎At the proceedings, Chris Uche (SAN), counsel to the Turaki faction, informed the court of the pending applications, stressing the need for urgency to align with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable ahead of the 2027 general elections. He also filed an affidavit of extreme urgency.
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‎Counsel to Austin Nwachukwu and two others, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), requested 15 days to file his reply, citing the need to obtain all relevant court records from the Court of Appeal’s decision nullifying the Ibadan Convention.
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‎The supreme court, however, directed all nine respondents to file their replies within five days each and fixed April 22, 2026, for the hearing of the appeal.
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‎In the second appeal, involving the Turaki-led faction against former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido and others, the apex court also granted accelerated hearing and abridgement of time, and fixed April 22 for hearing.
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‎Lamido had sued over his exclusion from the national chairmanship contest, which led to Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court issuing orders halting the convention.
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‎Lower courts (Federal High Court and Court of Appeal) have largely ruled against the Turaki faction, nullifying the Ibadan Convention, barring INEC from recognising its outcomes, and restricting access to the national secretariat in some rulings.
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The Turaki group has appealed to the apex court, arguing that the matter borders on internal party affairs, which are not justiciable, and that due procedures were followed.

Our correspondent reports that in October 2025, the federal high court in Abuja stopped the PDP faction led by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo; and Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi; from going ahead with its national convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan.

Justice James Omotosho, the presiding judge, ruled that the evidence before the court showed that the party failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned convention as stipulated in the 1999 constitution and INEC guidelines, as well as its own constitution.

Lamido had sued the party for allegedly denying him the opportunity to purchase the chairmanship nomination form to enable him participate in the convention.

On Nov. 11, Peter Lifu, another federal high court judge, issued a temporary order restraining the party from proceeding with the planned convention pending the determination of a substantive suit filed by Lamido.

On Nov. 14, he made a final order restraining the PDP from conducting its national convention.

In his judgment, Lifu held that the evidence before the court established that Lamido was “unjustly denied” the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest the position of national chairman of the party, in violation of the PDP constitution and its internal regulations.