Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has urged leaders of Nigeria’s main opposition party to end ongoing legal battles over its disputed national convention and focus on organizing a fresh one that complies with electoral guidelines.
Saraki made the appeal Tuesday in a statement issued by his media office and signed by spokesman Yusuph Olaniyonu while reacting to a Court of Appeal ruling that upheld earlier judgments invalidating the Peoples Democratic Party’s national convention held in Ibadan, in southwestern Oyo state, in November 2025.
The former governor of Kwara state said the party should accept the court’s decision and quickly move to organize a new convention in line with the timetable set by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The Court of Appeal has ruled. However, with the revised timetable by INEC, it is obvious that there is no time to wait for the Supreme Court decision,” Saraki said.
He warned that prolonged litigation could affect the chances of party members seeking to contest elections under the PDP in Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
“If our motive is to see that we do not jeopardize the chances of our numerous members who want to contest elections on our platform, then this consideration should be the priority of all of us in the party,” he said.
Saraki said political parties exist to provide platforms for candidates seeking elective office and should not allow internal disputes to undermine that purpose.
“One of the key essentials of a political party is to provide a platform for candidates seeking to serve the people by contesting elections. We should not defeat this purpose,” he said.
He also urged aggrieved leaders within the party to set aside personal interests and prioritize the collective future of the PDP.
“At this stage, egos have been bruised. However, leaders should rise above personal interests and serve the larger common good,” he said.
Saraki stressed the need for dialogue and compromise among party stakeholders to organize an inclusive national convention that would produce widely accepted leadership.
“The only viable option open to all of us is to sit down, discuss and work towards holding an all-inclusive national convention at a time that will comply with INEC guidelines,” he said.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja earlier upheld decisions by a Federal High Court that invalidated the PDP national convention held in Ibadan between Nov. 15 and 16, 2025.
In its ruling, the appellate court barred the electoral commission from recognizing the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of Taminu Turaki as the party’s national chairman.
Apart from electing a new National Working Committee, the convention had also suspended several allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over alleged anti-party activities.
Those suspended included National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade; Deputy National Legal Adviser Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary Umaru Bature.
The dispute stemmed from multiple lawsuits filed by aggrieved party members who argued that the convention violated provisions of Nigeria’s constitution, the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam said the party failed to comply with constitutional requirements before conducting the convention.
The court said no valid notice of the convention was served on the electoral commission as required by law and that valid congresses were not held in more than 14 states before the convention took place.
The panel also dismissed appeals filed by Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee, affirming that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the case and awarding 2 million naira ($1,300) in costs against the appellants.
The ruling marks the first appellate decision on the controversial convention after months of conflicting judgments from courts in Abuja and Ibadan.
