The Supreme Court on Thursday, April 30, 2026, nullified the National Convention of the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025.
In a split decision, the five-member panel of the Justices of the apex court ruled that the appeal filed by the Turaki faction of the PDP lacked merit.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court upheld the earlier rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court which condemned the conduct of the Ibadan convention.
Delivering the lead judgment in appeal SC/CV/164/2026, Justice Stephen Adah, noted that the faction ignored a standing legal barrier.
Justice Adah held that the appellants violated a subsisting order of the Federal High Court restraining them from proceeding with the planned convention.
The apex court stressed that the act of defying the judiciary was clear, and held that “disobedience of the court order was not disputed.
The Court therefore slammed the faction for abusing court processes by seeking a conflicting order from a different court in Ibadan after the initial restraining order was already in place.
Justice Adah further ruled that the lower courts were correct to use the 1999 Constitution to ensure political parties comply strictly with constitutional provisions, electoral regulations and valid court orders in the conduct of conventions and internal party affairs.
The Supreme Court ruling followed the March 9, Court of Appeal judgment which stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing any outcome from the Ibadan convention.
The final court of the land therefore dismissed all appeals and cross-appeals and ordered all parties involved to cover their own legal costs.
