ABUJA — The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), chaired by Senator Adolphus Wabara, announced on Thursday that it has assumed national leadership of the party following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the party’s November 2025 Ibadan convention.
In a statement released from Abuja, the BoT said the constitutional intervention was intended to prevent a leadership vacuum at the national level. The move, it added, is grounded in the party’s constitution as amended in 2017, specifically Section 32(5), which designates the BoT as the second‑highest organ of the PDP.
The Supreme Court’s judgment also upheld the suspension of former National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature and National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade. According to the BoT, the court’s decision renders all actions taken by the three officials null and void. This includes the appointment of Abdulrahman Mohammed as acting National Chairman, the formation of the National Caretaker Working Committee, and the conduct of the March 29, 2026 national convention in Abuja.
By declaring the Mohammed‑led and Kabiru Tanimu Turaki‑led committees invalid, the court placed the statutory responsibility for party leadership on the BoT. The BoT therefore “immediately assumes responsibility of the national working leadership of the PDP as a constitutional remedial step to foster genuine reconciliation, stabilise the party and return it to good political health,” the statement said.
The BoT announced that an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee will be convened under Section 31 of the PDP constitution. The meeting is expected to appoint an interim National Working Committee (NWC) to manage the party’s secretariat and oversee its affairs ahead of the 2027 general elections. The statement urged all PDP staff to resume duties at the national secretariat under BoT supervision pending the formation of the interim NWC.
In acknowledging the party’s challenges, the BoT praised Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo for their resilience, and called on all members to set aside personal and factional interests. “The time has come for us to make sacrifices, sheath our swords and embrace genuine reconciliation for lasting peace and a new course for our party,” the statement read.
Minister of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, a supporter of the BoT, reiterated that the Supreme Court decision leaves Abdulrahman Mohammed as the legitimate party leader. In a separate communication, BoT Chairman Senator Mao Ohuabunwa affirmed that the apex court’s ruling aligns with earlier decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal that nullified the Ibadan convention.
Ohuabunwa stressed that the party’s legal position is clear: the Ibadan convention is void and any structure emerging from it lacks legal foundation. He confirmed that the Mohammed‑led leadership remains the “valid and stabilising authority” to guide the party nationally and that the PDP will continue to operate through its recognised organs.
The BoT also directed the NWC to establish a National Reconciliation Committee to engage aggrieved members across the country. “This is a moment for discipline, loyalty and collective commitment to the ideals and future of the party,” Ohuabunwa said.
The developments place the PDP on a tight timetable to meet the requirements of the 2026 Electoral Act and to field candidates for the 2027 elections, with the party’s internal cohesion now a focal point for its electoral prospects.
