A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki has approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria seeking an order to restrain the group loyal to Nyesom Wike from holding its planned national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Turaki-led faction filed the appeal on Friday, challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria which upheld an earlier ruling nullifying its national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025.
In the appeal, the faction argued that both the appellate court and the Federal High Court of Nigeria lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case, insisting that the matter concerns the internal leadership affairs of the party.
Background
In October 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained a PDP faction led by Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed from holding its proposed national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan.
Justice James Omotosho ruled that evidence before the court showed the party failed to conduct valid state congresses before the planned convention, as required by the 1999 Constitution, the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the party’s constitution.
Despite the order, the faction’s National Working Committee (NWC) proceeded with the convention in Ibadan, which produced Turaki as national chairman along with other members of the NWC.
However, the faction loyal to Wike did not participate in the convention and instead formed a parallel NWC, Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC).
On March 9, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the Federal High Court’s judgment restraining the convention, dismissing the PDP NWC’s appeal that challenged the jurisdiction of the lower court.
Meanwhile, the Wike-aligned faction scheduled its own national convention for March 29 in Abuja.
The Appeal
The new appeal was filed by the PDP, its National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee.
Those listed as respondents include Austine Nwachukwu, PDP chairman in Imo State; Amah Abraham Nnanna, PDP chairman in Abia State; Turnah Alabh George, PDP secretary for the South-South zone; INEC; Samuel Anyanwu, PDP national secretary; Umar Bature, PDP national organising secretary; Umar Damagum; Ali Odefa; and Emmanuel Ogidi.
The Turaki-led faction based its appeal on five grounds, arguing that the Court of Appeal erred by affirming the Federal High Court’s decision that stopped the Ibadan convention.
According to the appellants, the appellate court was wrong “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”.
They further argued that the court 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 a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment pending the hearing and determination of the case before the Supreme Court.
It also asked the apex court, in the alternative, to issue an injunction restraining the respondents — particularly INEC — from recognising the appellate court’s decision that nullified the Ibadan convention.
Additionally, the appellants are requesting an order restraining the respondents from organising, conducting or recognising the proposed PDP national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30 in Abuja, pending the determination of the appeal.
