The Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has appealed the Federal High Court ruling that voided the party’s November 2025 convention and recognised a caretaker committee backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Addressing journalists on Friday, Turaki said, despite the court verdict, the party remained legally intact and unshaken as it awaits the pronouncement of the appellate courts.
The Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan had, earlier on Friday, invalidated the PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15, 2025.
The court also directed Turaki and others to stop presenting themselves as national officers of the PDP.
Justice Uche Agomoh further ruled that the caretaker committee headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu remains the only recognised National Working Committee of the PDP until a valid national convention is held.
The PDP governors had supported the Ibadan convention, at which Turaki and other members of the NWC were elected for a four-year term.
However, Wike, alongside Abdulrahman and Anyanwu, insisted that they remained in office as acting national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
But reacting, Turaki described the judgment as an academic exercise, urging the Court of Appeal to consolidate all pending party-related cases to produce a single binding judgment for all parties.
Turaki said the NWC had filed a Notice of Appeal and a Motion for Stay of Execution and would pursue the matter to its legal conclusion.
He explained that they went to court to seek an order of mandamus directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the Ibadan Convention and enable official party communications with the Commission.
Meanwhile, Wike’s bloc has welcomed the court ruling, calling on all members to embrace unity, reconciliation, and adherence to due process.
The Mohammed-led PDP Caretaker Committee, through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungude Mohammed, on Friday, reaffirmed that the party’s legitimacy stems only from adherence to its Constitution, laws, and valid court orders—not from unlawful claims or impersonation.
The statement read in part, “The landmark judgment, which further nullified the conduct, outcome, and entire proceedings of the purported convention held in Ibadan on the 15th and 16th of November 2025, represents a decisive victory for the rule of law, constitutionalism, and internal party democracy. It reaffirms the long-standing position of the PDP that legitimacy can only be derived from strict compliance with the Constitution of the Party, extant laws, and valid court orders, as opposed to seeking self-help through impersonation or unlawful assertions of authority.
“We appeal to all aggrieved members to sheath their swords, as this victory belongs to the entire PDP family. Our doors remain open for genuine reconciliation and integration. This will strengthen unity, deepen internal cohesion, and refocus collective efforts toward building a stronger and more formidable PDP.
Punch
