Nigeria Supreme Court Reserves PDP Convention Appeal Judgment

Nigeria's Supreme Court reserved judgment on Wednesday in an appeal brought by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Tanimu Turaki, challenging the nullification of the party's national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025. The five-member panel, headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, announced that the delivery date would be communicated to all parties after lawyers adopted their briefs of argument.

The convention, organized by the faction aligned with governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, aimed to elect national executives but proceeded despite restraining orders from the Federal High Court in Abuja. Lower courts invalidated the event, citing the PDP's failure to comply with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act of 2022, and the party's own guidelines. In one key ruling on October 31, 2025, Justice James Omotosho found that the PDP had not conducted valid state congresses in at least 14 states to select delegates, rendering notices for the convention defective as they were signed only by the national chairman without the secretary's involvement. Omotosho ordered the party to hold proper...