The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the recent judgment of the Oyo State High Court, describing it as inconsequential and of no binding effect.
The PDP caretaker committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, insisted that the November 2025 convention remains invalid.
It emphasised that existing judgments of the Federal High Court had earlier barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from attending or monitoring the exercise, thereby making the Oyo State High Court’s ruling ineffectual on the issue.
On Friday, the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan upheld the 2025 PDP convention conducted on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, during which a National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki was elected.
Justice Ladiran Akintola of Court 5 delivered the ruling shortly after deciding on an application seeking joinder in the matter.
In his judgment, the court granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, through his counsel, Musbau Adetunmbi.
In its reaction, the Wike-backed faction of the PDP stated that the judgment does not bind INEC and is therefore of no significance in relation to the matters in dispute.
Wike’s faction stated, “The judgment reportedly delivered by the Oyo State High Court is an inconsequential development and is best described as a mere academic exercise. It is important to state clearly that the court that delivered today’s judgment was the same court that earlier granted an interim order to Mr Damagum and his co-travellers, permitting them to proceed with their Amala Convention held on the 15th and 16th of November 2025, despite two valid Federal High Court judgments. So, this is not news.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the said judgment does not bind the Independent National Electoral Commission, as INEC was neither joined nor represented as a party in the suit. To say the least, INEC challenged the jurisdiction of the Oyo State High Court, which the court later agreed to in a ruling delivered by the judge and subsequently struck out the name of INEC.
“A judgment that does not bind INEC is of no consequence whatsoever as far as the issues at stake are concerned. The judgment has no legal effect whatsoever on the conduct, monitoring, or recognition of any party convention purported to have been held on the 15th and 16th of November 2026.
“It bears reiterating that INEC has already complied with two subsisting judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which expressly restrained the Commission from attending, monitoring, or recognising the outcome of the purported convention. INEC has equally complied with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, which nullified the said convention and restrained Kabiru Turaki and his associates from parading themselves as leaders of the party.
“In light of the foregoing, the National Caretaker Working Committee of the party wishes to assure loyal party members and the general public that all arrangements towards the conduct of congresses and the National Convention have reached an advanced stage.”
On January 30, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP National Convention conducted on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, and ordered Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and others to cease parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the judgment, PDP governors had backed the Ibadan convention, which produced Turaki and members of the National Working Committee for a four-year tenure.
The governors had also overseen a transition from former Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of the expiration of Damagum’s tenure on December 9.
However, a faction aligned with Nyesom Wike constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, naming Mohammed as Acting National Chairman, Samuel Anyanwu as Acting Secretary, and others, with a 60-day mandate.
Attempts by both the Wike-aligned group and the governors’ camp to convene at Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, degenerated into disorder and physical clashes.
Subsequently, the police sealed the PDP National Secretariat, which has remained shut.
Both factions later approached INEC for recognition, but the commission declined to acknowledge either side, leading to protracted legal battles ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amid the crisis, the Wike-backed caretaker committee announced on February 3 that a fresh National Convention to elect new PDP leaders would be held in Abuja from March 29 to 30.
On February 12, the Court of Appeal heard all consolidated cases relating to the PDP leadership dispute and reserved judgment, with the date for the ruling to be communicated to the parties.