The management and staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its training arm, the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), have rejected a recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan on the party’s leadership crisis, insisting that the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee (NWC) remains the only legitimate leadership of the party.
In a statement issued on Monday, the workers said the ruling was inconsistent with settled Supreme Court authorities on the internal affairs of political parties, stressing that the Turaki-led NWC was duly elected at the PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025.
They reaffirmed their “recognition, loyalty and allegiance” to the current NWC, describing it as the product of a convention lawfully convened and sanctioned by all legitimate organs of the party.
“The staff of the PDP, as custodians of the party secretariat, will not align with or recognise any unauthorised leadership apart from the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led NWC because it emerged from a valid national convention,” the statement read.
The workers cited a “plethora of Supreme Court judgments” to argue that issues of party leadership, congresses and conventions are internal matters beyond the jurisdiction of courts, except where statutory provisions are breached.
They further maintained that there was no legal impediment to the Ibadan convention, noting that it was convened by the National Executive Committee (NEC) at its 101st meeting on July 24, 2025, in line with Section 31(2)(a) of the PDP Constitution.
According to them, the party also complied with all statutory requirements under Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022, including notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which they said was represented at the convention.
The statement referenced the recent Supreme Court decision in INEC v. SDP & Ors, which reaffirmed that political parties are only required to notify INEC of conventions and congresses, a condition the PDP said it met.
Raising concerns over conflicting court pronouncements, the staff described as “surprising” earlier rulings by Justices Kolawale Omotosho and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which arose from suits filed by what they called “two former members of the party.”
They also faulted the Ibadan judgment, saying it was troubling because the matter is already before an appellate court on the issue of jurisdiction.
“It is of particular concern that Justice Agomoh accused our party of conducting the convention in disobedience to a court order, whereas the court was duly informed of the ruling of the Oyo State High Court directing the PDP to conduct the exercise,” the statement added.
The workers warned that attempts to impose party leadership through court orders posed a grave threat to internal democracy and urged respect for constitutional provisions and established judicial precedents governing political parties.
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