The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered the adoption of harmonised briefs in the ongoing leadership dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a move widely seen as paving the way for a final judgment in the case.
At Tuesday’s hearing, key party figures, including several governors and members of the faction led by National Chairman Tanimu Turaki (SAN), were present. The Turaki-led group is challenging the validity of the party’s November 2025 national convention, which was nullified by a Federal High Court in Ibadan.
The appellate court’s directive is aimed at consolidating appeals stemming from three conflicting judgments delivered by different divisions of the Federal High Court. Two rulings from Abuja restrained Turaki’s faction from conducting the convention, while the Ibadan court went further by declaring the convention invalid and barring officials elected at the event from acting as national officers.
These conflicting decisions have intensified the PDP’s internal crisis, effectively splitting the party into rival factions. The Turaki camp maintains that it represents the legitimate leadership, while a rival bloc aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, continues to dispute its authority.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal directed all parties to harmonise their legal processes for a unified hearing. Both factions are expected to formally adopt their briefs on Thursday, after which the court will set a date for judgment.
The PDP’s leadership crisis dates back to the aftermath of the 2023 general election, when disagreements over zoning arrangements, the influence of governors, and control of the party’s national secretariat escalated into parallel meetings, suspensions, and multiple lawsuits. Wike’s open support for President Bola Tinubu during the election further deepened divisions within the party.
Repeated reconciliation efforts by the PDP’s Board of Trustees have failed, leaving the courts to determine the party’s legitimate leadership. The Court of Appeal’s eventual ruling is expected not only to resolve the leadership dispute but also to shape the party’s internal power dynamics ahead of upcoming governorship elections and the 2027 general election.
