A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, on Friday, nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in the city between Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, 2025.

Justice Uche Agomoh also held that the Caretaker Committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Sen. Samuel Anyanwu remained the only recognised National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, pending the conduct of a valid national convention.

It will be recalled that the Kabiru Turaki faction of the PDP had filed the suit seeking recognition of the convention held in Ibadan on Nov. 15, 2025, and validation of the NWC that emerged at the convention

Agomoh also barred Turaki and other officials purportedly elected at the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the party forthwith.

The court held that the convention was conducted in flagrant disobedience to two subsisting judgments of the same court. It said that returning to seek judicial approval for actions taken in defiance of court orders was an exercise in futility. Consequently, all decisions taken at the convention were set aside by the court.

The judge further declared that the PDP could only operate through the caretaker committee until a proper and lawful national convention was held.

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Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chief Ferdinand Oshioke Orbih, described the ruling as a boost for Nigeria’s democracy. Orbih, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that the claimants had sought judicial endorsement of what he described as an illegal convention, but the court firmly rejected the move.

A statement issued on Friday and signed by Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Working Committee said, “the landmark judgment which further nullified the conduct, outcome, and entire proceedings of the purported convention held in Ibadan on the 15th and 16th November 2025 represents a decisive victory for the rule of law, constitutionalism, and internal party democracy.

“It reaffirms the long-standing position of the PDP that legitimacy can only be derived from strict compliance with the Constitution of the Party, extant laws, and valid court orders as against seeking for self-help through impersonation, or unlawful assertions of authority,” it added.

While asserting its victory, the caretaker committee urged restraint among party members, calling for calm and unity in the aftermath of the ruling.

“The National Caretaker Working Committee therefore congratulates all its members and supporters for their patience, resilience, and unwavering faith in due process throughout this period,” it said, while urging members to remain calm, law-abiding, and united as we move forward.

The committee also extended a reconciliation appeal to aggrieved members, stressing that the judgment should serve as a unifying moment for the party rather than deepen divisions. We appeal to all aggrieved members to sheath their swords as this victory belongs to the entire PDP family. Our doors remain open for genuine reconciliation and integration.

“We commend the Judiciary for once again rising to its constitutional responsibility as the impartial arbiter in political and constitutional disputes,” the committee added.

Meanwhile, the Kabiru Turaki-led faction, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said it had already set in motion the process of challenging the ruling, even as it urged members to remain calm and focused.

According to the statement, “We are aware of the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, delivered this morning, which essentially declined to grant the order of mandamus sought on the ground that doing so would, in the court’s view, amount to sitting on appeal over judgments of courts of coordinate jurisdiction. We have accordingly briefed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal and to take all further legal steps necessary to advance our arguments and firmly protect our position on this matter”

The statement was emphatic that the Ibadan Convention and the leadership it produced have not been shaken by the ruling, describing suggestions to the contrary as premature and misleading.

“Notwithstanding this judgment, the Kabiru Turaki–led Peoples Democratic Party, which emerged from the Ibadan Convention, remains legally intact and unshaken, as we await the authoritative pronouncement of the appellate courts. We therefore urge our members to remain resolute and committed as there is absolutely no cause for alarm,” the statement added.