The Court of Appeal in Abuja is set to take a significant step Thursday toward resolving the leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party by adopting harmonized briefs filed by parties in the dispute.
The move follows a court sitting Wednesday in Abuja attended by party leaders, including the governors-backed national chairman, Tanimu Turaki, a senior advocate of Nigeria, and members of the National Working Committee. Also present were Govs. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, among other party chieftains.
The Turaki-led faction is seeking validation after a Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, nullified the November 2025 national convention that produced its leadership.
The appellate court is consolidating appeals arising from three conflicting judgments delivered by different divisions of the Federal High Court.
Two of the rulings were issued by Justices Peter Lifu and James Omotosho of the Abuja division, while a third was delivered by Justice Uche in Ibadan.
In the Abuja decisions, the court barred the Turaki-led faction from holding the PDP’s national convention in Ibadan in November, citing violations of party guidelines and existing court orders.
In a separate ruling, the Ibadan court nullified the convention after it was held, declared it invalid and restrained officials elected at the gathering from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
The conflicting judgments deepened divisions within the PDP, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s national leadership and secretariat.
While the Turaki group maintains it represents the legitimate leadership, a rival faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike continues to challenge its authority.
To streamline proceedings and prevent further conflicting outcomes, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal directed the Turaki faction to regularize and harmonize its appeals against the three judgments. The court also ordered all parties to align their filings for a unified hearing.
Both factions are expected to formally adopt their briefs of argument Thursday, after which the court is likely to set a date for judgment.
The leadership dispute dates to the aftermath of the PDP’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election, which exposed internal divisions over zoning arrangements, the influence of state governors and control of the party’s national secretariat.
Tensions escalated after Wike publicly supported President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress during the election. His continued influence within the PDP through loyalists in key party organs has remained a source of contention.
Efforts by the party’s Board of Trustees and other stakeholders to mediate have so far failed, with both camps pursuing their claims through the courts.
The Court of Appeal’s eventual ruling is expected to determine the party’s recognized leadership and could shape its internal dynamics ahead of off-cycle governorship elections and the 2027 general election.
