Turaki-led PDP heads to S’Court to halt Wike-led faction convention scheduled for Sunday, Monday

The Kabiru Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approached the Supreme Court to restrain the faction loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), from conducting its national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30.

The Turaki-led PDP faction on Friday filed an appeal against the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the ruling nullifying its national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.

In the appeal, the PDP faction argued that the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.

Background

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.

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 guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as its own constitution.

Despite the ruling, the PDP national working committee (NWC) of the faction went ahead with the national convention in Ibadan.
The Ibadan convention produced Turaki as national chairman of the faction and other members of the NWC.

However, the faction loyal to the FCT minister did not participate in the convention but instead constituted a parallel NWC, board of trustees (BoT), and national executive committee (NEC).

On March 9, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court, which restrained the conduct of the Ibadan convention.

The three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the PDP NWC appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to entertain the suit.
The Wike faction had scheduled its national convention for March 29 in Abuja.

The Appeal

The appeal was filed by PDP, PDP NWC, and PDP national executive committee (NEC).

Respondents in the appeal are Austine Nwachukwu, PDP chairman, Imo State chapter; Amah Abraham Nnanna, PDP chairman, Abia State chapter; Turnah Alabh George, PDP secretary, South-South zone; INEC; Samuel Anyanwu, PDP national secretary; Umar Bature, PDP national organising secretary; Umar Damagum, PDP national chairman; Ali Odefa; and Emmanuel Ogidi.

The Turaki-led faction anchored its appeal on five grounds, arguing that the Court of Appeal erred by affirming the judgement of the lower court that stopped the Ibadan convention.

The PDP faction argued that the Court of Appeal erred “when it affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court assuming jurisdiction over the suit of the 1st-3rd Respondents which related purely to the internal leadership affairs of the 1st Appellant political party”.

The faction averred that the Court of Appeal also erred in law “when it held that the 1st-3rd Respondents’ suit disclosed a cause of action within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court under Section 251 of the Constitution”.

The faction is seeking an order of stay of execution of the verdict of the Court of Appeal in the case.

The PDP sought the following reliefs in the alternative:

“An order of injunction restraining the Respondents, especially the 4th Respondent (INEC), from giving effect to that part of the decision of the Court of Appeal dated the 9th March 2026, in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/1613/2025, which affirmed all the orders made in the judgment of the Federal High Court, delivered at Abuja on the 31 October of 2025, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, including the orders stopping the 4th Respondent from according recognition to the Appellants’ National convention of 15th and 16th November 2025, which held at Ibadan, pending the hearing and determination of the Appellants/Applicants’ appeal filed and pending before the Supreme Court.

“An order of injunction pending appeal restraining ALL the Respondents, especially the 1 to 6th Respondents, from giving effect to or acting on the decision of the Court of Appeal dated 9th March, 2026, in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/1613/2025, which affirmed the decision of the Fed High Court, delivered in Abuja on the 31 of October, 2025, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, and restraining all the Respondents from taking any steps in organizing, conducting, holding or in any way recognizing and attending the proposed purported “National convention of the Peoples Democratic Party” slated for the 29th and 30th of March, 2026, at Abuja or on any other date or venue, at the instance of 5th and 6th Respondents herein or howsoever through their agents or principal, or in the name of the 1st Appellant, pending the hearing and determination of the Appellants/Applicants’ appeal at the Supreme Court.”