Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been thrown into deeper uncertainty following a split judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria nullifying its Ibadan convention.
In a 3–2 decision delivered by a five-man panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court upheld earlier rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, which voided the controversial convention.
The majority judgment, delivered by Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba, ruled that the appellants acted in contempt of a valid subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court. On that basis, the court dismissed the appeal, effectively sustaining the nullification of the convention.
However, in a dissenting opinion, Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar argued that the dispute stemmed from internal party affairs and was therefore non-justiciable. They maintained that the courts should not have entertained the matter, noting that it did not involve any federal government agency but rather a leadership tussle within the party.
The minority justices also faulted the majority for raising issues suo motu—without giving parties the opportunity to address them—describing it as inconsistent with established judicial principles.
The ruling also upheld the suspension of key party figures, including Ajibade, SAN, and Samuel Anyanwu, further complicating the PDP’s leadership structure.
Reacting to the judgment, a faction within the party warned that the development leaves the PDP without a clearly defined leadership and poses a serious threat to its stability.
In a statement signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, spokesperson for the group, the situation was described as a “dangerous bend” that could have wider implications not only for the PDP but also for Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
“With this split judgment, which also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Anyanwu, and others, this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership.
“To this end, we are certain that the existing organs of the party will take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership on it going forward.
“This leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend, which, if not carefully navigated, may not only affect the party but also multi-party democracy in our country” he noted.
The faction expressed hope that the party’s existing organs would take urgent steps to stabilise the situation and restore order within its ranks as political tensions continue to mount ahead of the 2027 general elections.
