Dalena Reporters l Friday, February 27, 2026
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), finds itself in a fresh bout of political and legal contention after an Oyo State High Court ruling affirmed the validity of the party’s November 2025 National Convention, a decision immediately rebuffed by the faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Justice Ladiran Akintola, presiding over Suit No. I/1336/2025 in Ibadan, delivered the verdict on Friday, holding that the convention held on November 15–16, 2025, which produced Tanimu Kabiru Turaki as substantive National Chairman, complied with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), and related statutory requirements. The court granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, and dismissed motions seeking a stay of proceedings.
In its ruling, the court declared that the notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued in August 2025 satisfied legal prerequisites for conducting the convention and held that failure to host the event would have infringed on rights to peaceful assembly. Significantly, the court directed that the outcome of the Ibadan exercise remains binding on INEC pending any contrary ruling from a higher court.
Despite this judicial affirmation, the Wike-aligned National Caretaker Working Committee dismissed the judgment as “inconsequential” and an “academic exercise,” arguing that it does not bind INEC — a critical element in the party’s leadership recognition framework. In a statement issued by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, the group insisted that prior Federal High Court judgments — including one nullifying the Ibadan convention and restraining INEC from attending or recognising the event — remain in force.
For months, the PDP has been mired in factional discord with parallel leadership claims. The faction backing Turaki, supported by several serving PDP governors, argues that the convention was legitimate and legally conducted, pointing to the Oyo court’s decision as validation of its mandate ahead of the 2027 general elections. By contrast, Wike’s supporters have consistently challenged the legality of that convention, citing conflicting Federal High Court orders and the non-attendance of INEC as fatal to its validity.
Earlier legal actions have seen the Federal High Court in Ibadan nullify the Ibadan convention in January 2026, setting aside the leadership claims of the Turaki-led National Working Committee and recognising the Wike-aligned caretaker group as the party’s legitimate administrators, at least until a valid convention is held.
The party’s leadership crisis has also catalysed parallel organisational moves by the Wike faction, including setting an alternative convention date, which it has tentatively scheduled for late March 2026. These moves aim to reset the PDP’s leadership architecture on a foundation recognised by its broader membership and compliant with extant court rulings.
Political analysts warn that the sustained legal tug-of-war and factional paralysis could weaken the PDP’s electoral prospects and organisational coherence at a critical juncture ahead of national elections. With appeal proceedings already anticipated, the matter is likely to escalate to higher judicial review, placing the party’s internal dynamics under further national scrutiny.
In the meantime, both factions maintain public postures of legitimacy — Turaki’s camp celebrating a judicial vindication and Wike’s group rejecting the ruling as untenable — as Nigeria’s principal opposition grapples with deepening fault lines within its ranks.