Court Bars Turaki Faction from PDP Secretariat, Nullifies Ibadan Convention

By Correspondent in Abuja.

(C) Google.

A fresh twist has emerged in the deepening crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday barred the faction led by Kabiru Turaki from accessing the party’s national secretariat.

In a judgment that underscores the intensifying power struggle for control of the party, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik restrained the Turaki-led leadership from entering the PDP headquarters at Wadata Plaza, while affirming the authority of the rival faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The court also directed security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS), to provide protection for the Wike-backed leadership in accessing and operating from the secretariat.

At the heart of the dispute was the controversial national convention held by the Turaki faction in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025.

Justice Abdulmalik declared the exercise, along with the election of party officials and disciplinary actions taken against some members, as unconstitutional, unlawful and of no effect.

She ruled that the convention was conducted in defiance of subsisting court orders, thereby violating Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates strict compliance with court decisions.

“The actions of the defendants amount to a direct affront to existing judgments and a challenge to the rule of law,” the judge held, adding that such conduct has no place in a democratic society.

The court further nullified the expulsion of Wike and his allies from the party, describing it as a grave violation of judicial authority and due process.

Our correspondent reports that the suit was instituted by a faction of the PDP led by its acting National Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, alongside the party and its factional National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

The plaintiffs had sought, among other reliefs, to restrain the Turaki group from parading itself as the leadership of the party or using the national secretariat.

Justice Abdulmalik granted all the reliefs, affirming that the plaintiffs remain the legitimate leadership entitled to occupy and manage the party’s national offices and assets.

In dismissing objections raised by the Turaki faction, the court rejected claims that the matter was an internal party affair beyond judicial intervention.

It held that the case involved the interpretation of constitutional provisions and enforcement of earlier court judgments, adding that it falled squarely within its jurisdiction.

The judge also declined requests for her to recuse herself from the case over alleged bias, ruling that the defendants failed to provide credible evidence to support such claims.

“Allegations of bias must be backed by cogent and verifiable evidence, not mere suspicion,” she stated, noting that dissatisfaction with court decisions should be addressed through appeal, not attempts to disqualify the judge.

The ruling effectively reinforces earlier decisions by other courts which had barred the Turaki-led faction from conducting a national convention.

Despite those orders, the group went ahead with the Ibadan gathering, further widening the rift within the party.

Political observers say the judgment is likely to reshape the internal dynamics of the PDP, even as both factions continue to assert legitimacy in a contest that has raised concerns about the party’s cohesion ahead of future electoral contests.

Keen of the crisis in PDP are of the opinion that with the current judgment, attention is expected to shift to the appellate courts, where the next phase of the legal and political battle for the soul of the PDP may unfold.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.