The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday dismissed an appeal lodged by the faction loyal to former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki over the party’s national convention.
The Turaki faction sought an action of the court to affirm the results of the national convention it held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025.
In a ruling, the appellate court not only threw out the challenge but also awarded a punitive cost of N2 million against the appellants, marking a significant setback for the group’s bid to assert leadership over the embattled opposition party.
At the heart of the dispute was a previous Federal High Court judgment that had effectively paralyzed the faction’s plans to hold a national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. That lower court ruling had explicitly barred the party from proceeding with the event and issued a directive preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from according any legitimacy to outcomes arising from the November 15 and 16 gathering.
The Turaki-led group had approached the appellate court in hopes of vacating this order, arguing primarily that the judiciary lacked the jurisdiction to intervene in what they characterized as an internal party affair.
However, the Court of Appeal rejected this line of reasoning, maintaining that the Federal High Court acted well within its constitutional powers when it entertained the suit.
The justices held that while political parties enjoy a degree of internal autonomy, the courts must intervene when democratic rights are at stake.
The ruling clarified that the plaintiffs in the original suit possessed the necessary legal standing to seek judicial protection, as the dispute transcended mere administrative disagreements and touched upon the fundamental democratic processes of the organization.
The appellate court further addressed allegations regarding the denial of a fair hearing, a common pillar in political appeals.
The justices ruled that the Turaki-led faction had been afforded ample opportunity to present its case during the trial proceedings, thereby dismissing the claim of procedural unfairness as meritless.
By affirming the trial court’s decision, the Court of Appeal has effectively sealed the legal block on the Ibadan convention, leaving the faction with limited options as the leadership crisis continues to splinter the party’s rank and file.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was notably tense as leaders from various rival factions looked on during the delivery of the judgment.
This latest ruling adds another layer of complexity to the prolonged litigation that has come to define the PDP’s internal operations in recent months.
