Supreme Court to Decide Fate of PDP, ADC Leadership Disputes

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday reserved judgment in appeals stemming from leadership crises within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In the PDP case, the appeal was filed by a faction led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, challenging the nullification of the party’s 2025 national convention.
A five-member panel of the court, headed by Justice Lawal Garba, stated that the date for delivering judgment would be communicated to all parties after counsel adopted their final written addresses.
The Turaki-led faction is seeking to overturn the March 9 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld earlier decisions invalidating the PDP’s Ibadan convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.
Before the apex court, the faction argued that the matter concerns internal party affairs and is therefore not justiciable, maintaining that due process was followed in organising the convention.
However, lower courts had consistently ruled against the group, nullifying the convention, restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising its outcome, and issuing orders affecting access to the party’s national secretariat.
The Court of Appeal had affirmed two separate judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja, both of which barred the PDP from conducting the convention pending compliance with the Electoral Act and the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
In one of the rulings, Justice James Omotosho held that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses as required by law and its constitution, thereby invalidating the convention.
In another decision, Justice Peter Lifu restrained the party from proceeding with the convention until former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, was allowed to participate in the national chairmanship race, having been unjustly excluded.
The suits that resulted in these rulings were filed by aggrieved party members, including state executives from Imo, Abia, and the South-South zone, leading to the prolonged leadership crisis now before the Supreme Court.
In a related matter, the apex court also reserved judgment in an appeal concerning the leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A separate five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba announced that the judgment date would be communicated after counsel adopted their briefs.
The appeal, filed by a factional National Chairman of the ADC, challenges the March 12 decision of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his earlier appeal.
That appeal had sought to overturn the September 4, 2025 ruling of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which declined to grant certain injunctive reliefs requested in an ex parte application filed by a party chieftain, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Justice Mohammed Garba made the announcement after all counsel adopted their respective briefs and urged the court to grant their reliefs.