When the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a federal high court ruling on Monday nullifying the PDP’s national convention held in Ibadan last November, it did more than strike down a disputed election. It handed the party’s internal enemies a legal weapon — and confirmed what many had long suspected: that the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee sits on unstable ground.
The three-member appellate panel, in a lead judgement by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, found that the Turaki faction failed to serve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with a valid notice of the convention as required by law.
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The court also held that the matter was not purely an internal party affair, clearing the way for judicial oversight. The lower court, it ruled, was right to assume jurisdiction and restrain INEC from recognising the convention’s outcome.
The Turaki faction has since directed its lawyers to file an appeal at the Supreme Court. Its spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, said the faction hopes the apex court will “expeditiously settle this matter in the interest of democracy.”
In the meantime, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), chaired by Adolphus Wabara, held an emergency expanded meeting in Abuja on Wednesday and issued an 11-point communiqué that both rejected the appeal court verdict and called for reconciliation.
What Reconciliation Would Require
For reconciliation to mean anything in the PDP right now, the two factions would need to agree on one thing above all else: who has the legitimate authority to run the party. That question is currently before the Supreme Court.
Until it is answered, any reconciliation effort is essentially a negotiation without a table — each side claiming the seat at the head.
The BoT has constituted a special committee to interface with legal teams and other stakeholders. It has also said it intends to explore a window for reconciliation left open by the Court of Appeal, Ibadan division. These are reasonable first steps.
But committees and communiqués have been the PDP’s default response to crisis for years, and the party’s track record of converting goodwill into durable settlements is poor.
The 2027 Clock
What may force a genuine settlement is not goodwill but pressure. The BoT acknowledged in its communiqué that party members are “desirous of contesting various positions” in the 2027 general elections, and that the current crisis threatens their ability to do so. Aspirants need a functional party structure — forms to collect, primaries to contest, a secretariat that recognises their membership. A party still fighting over who runs its national office cannot credibly offer any of that.
Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, both commended by the BoT, represent the wing of the party with the most to lose if the crisis drags into 2027. Their involvement in any reconciliation process will matter. Whether they have the leverage to push both factions toward a workable compromise is the more important question.
The Window Is Narrow
The Supreme Court appeal, if filed, could take months to resolve. Nigerian apex court timelines offer no guarantees. In the meantime, the PDP will be trying to register members, manage its affairs and present itself as a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress — all without a settled national leadership.
FURTHER READING
Reconciliation is not impossible. The PDP has pulled back from the edge before. But the conditions for it to work are strict: both sides must want it more than they want to win in court, and someone with enough authority must be willing to enforce the terms. Neither condition is currently in place. Until they are, the BoT’s reconciliation push, however well-intentioned, remains more aspiration than plan.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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