The Board of Trustees (BoT) of Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday at the residence of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, as the party’s internal leadership crisis intensifies following a key court ruling.
The meeting, chaired by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, was attended by senior party figures, including caretaker committee chair Tanimu Turaki, Umar Damagum, former PDP Deputy National Chairman Bode George, former Information Minister Jerry Gana, and former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu. In his opening address, Wabara framed Monday’s Court of Appeal judgment as “an opportunity for the PDP to begin afresh,” suggesting a pivot in the party’s direction.
Earlier, the PDP caretaker committee led by Turaki held a separate briefing where it welcomed the appellate court’s decision, describing it as a validation of its authority. The committee reiterated its commitment to proceeding with plans for the party’s national convention, which is scheduled for later this month.
The court’s ruling upheld a prior Federal High Court injunction that restrains the PDP from conducting its national convention. The appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by the Turaki-led caretaker committee, which asserts leadership of the party following an elective convention held in Ibadan last year. That convention produced a National Working Committee (NWC) whose legitimacy is now contested.
In a swift response, the Turaki faction announced that its legal team will immediately file an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the appellate court’s judgment. The faction maintains that the Ibadan convention was valid and that its committee is the legitimate governing body.
Monday’s ruling solidifies the legal uncertainty surrounding the PDP’s leadership structure and its planned convention. The party’s BoT emergency meeting signals an attempt to manage the fallout and chart a path forward amid the conflicting claims. The forthcoming Supreme Court appeal will determine the final legal standing on which faction—if any—holds the authority to convene the national convention, a critical event for the opposition party ahead of future elections.
