Supreme Court Ruling: PDP without leadership, party organs to take charge — Turaki’s camp

The camp of former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently without a clearly defined leadership structure following the recent Supreme Court judgment, while expressing confidence that the party’s constitutional organs will act quickly to stabilise the situation.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the camp’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the apex court’s split decision not only nullified the party’s national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, but also upheld the suspension of key officials, including Samuel Anyanwu and Kamaldeen Ajibade.

The Supreme Court, in a 3–2 majority ruling, held that the convention which produced the Turaki-led leadership was conducted in violation of subsisting court orders that had restrained the party from proceeding with the exercise without meeting specified conditions.

According to the statement, the majority judgment—delivered by Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Mohammed Lawal Garba—found that the appellants acted in contempt of court and were therefore not entitled to be heard, leading to the dismissal of their appeal.

However, the dissenting justices—Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar—maintained that the matter bordered on the internal affairs of the PDP and was therefore non-justiciable, arguing that courts should not interfere in party leadership disputes.

They also faulted the majority for raising issues suo motu without giving parties the opportunity to address them, describing the approach as inconsistent with established judicial principles.

Reacting to the outcome, the Turaki camp said the combined effect of the ruling has left the PDP in a precarious position, with no clearly recognised leadership.

“With this split judgment… this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership,” the statement noted.

Despite the uncertainty, the group expressed optimism that the party’s existing structures would intervene to restore order and reconstitute its leadership ahead of future political engagements.

It warned, however, that the current situation represents a critical turning point, cautioning that failure to act decisively could have broader implications not only for the PDP but also for Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system.

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