Federal High Court Nullifies PDP National Convention, Recognizes Caretaker Committee

Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court in Ibadan on Friday nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15–16, 2025. The court also barred Senior Advocate of Nigeria Taminu Turaki and others who emerged as National Working Committee (NWC) members from parading themselves as party officers.

The court ruled that the caretaker committee, led by Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, remains the only recognised NWC of the PDP until a valid convention is conducted.

The judgment stemmed from Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/121/2025, in which the Kabiru Turaki faction sought recognition of the Ibadan convention and validation of the NWC elected there. Justice Agomoh held that the convention was conducted in flagrant violation of two subsisting court orders, describing attempts to seek judicial approval retroactively as futile. Consequently, all decisions taken at the convention were set aside.

“The caretaker committee is the only lawful governing body of PDP that INEC should recognize and relate with,” the court emphasized. The judge further described the application to legitimize the convention as a “brazen attempt” to validate illegalities.

Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, described the decision as a boost for Nigeria’s democracy. He noted that the judgment reinforced the supremacy of the rule of law over political expency and underscored the need for political actors to respect court orders to avoid chaos.

The judgment follows a protracted internal crisis within the PDP, including an earlier Abuja Federal High Court order by Justice Peter Lifu, which had suspended the convention over claims by former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido that he was unfairly denied access to contest the party’s chairmanship.