The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday nullified a the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan, Oyo State on 15 and 16 November 2025. In a decisive verdict, the apex court nullified the PDP Ibadan Convention and rejected the appeal filed by the Tanimu Turaki faction, effectively ending their claim to the party’s leadership and reinforcing the critical nature of party internal democracy legalities.
In a split decision delivered by a five-member panel, three justices held that the challenge lacked merit. The court affirmed the concurrent findings of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had previously ruled that the conduct of the convention was unlawful.
Legal Breaches at the PDP Ibadan Convention
Delivering the lead judgement, Justice Stephen Adah held that the organisers of the PDP Ibadan Convention acted in open defiance of the judiciary. The court found that the faction proceeded with the event despite a subsisting order from the Federal High Court specifically restraining them from doing so.
Justice Adah stated: “The appellants violated a subsisting order of the Federal High Court restraining them from proceeding with the planned convention.
The apex court consequently dismissed the appeal and the cross-appeals, ordering the parties to bear their own costs. The court emphasized that the disobedience of a standing court order was a matter of fact, rendering the outcomes of the PDP Ibadan Convention null and void.
Abuse of Process by the Tanimu Turaki Faction
A central pillar of the Supreme Court judgement Nigeria released today was the observation of an abuse of court process. The court agreed with lower judicial findings that the Tanimu Turaki faction sought a counter-order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction in Ibadan only after a restraining order had been served by the Federal High Court.
Justice Adah stated that the lower courts were correct in relying on Sections 221, 222, and 229 of the 1999 Constitution to ensure that political organisations remain bound by the law.
He noted: “Political parties must strictly comply with constitutional provisions, electoral regulations and valid court orders in the conduct of conventions and internal party affairs.
Finality of the Supreme Court Judgement Nigeria
The ruling effectively marks the end of the road for the legal battle surrounding the PDP Ibadan Convention. The appeal had sought to overturn a March 9 judgement by the Court of Appeal, which had already restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any leadership produced by the Ibadan event.
The apex court had reserved judgement in the matter after hearing arguments on April 22. This final ruling forces the Peoples Democratic Party to return to a caretaker arrangement or organise a fresh gathering that adheres strictly to party internal democracy legalities.
For the Tanimu Turaki faction, the verdict represents a significant political setback, as the court’s refusal to validate the PDP Ibadan Convention strips their executive committee of all administrative authority.
