The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated, with the faction led by Kabiru Turaki approaching the Supreme Court of Nigeria to halt a parallel national convention planned by loyalists of Nyesom Wike.
In an appeal filed on Friday, the Turaki-led faction urged the apex court to restrain the Wike-aligned group from proceeding with its convention scheduled for March 29 and 30, 2026, in Abuja. The faction is also seeking a stay of execution of a recent judgment by the Court of Appeal, which upheld earlier rulings nullifying its own convention held in Ibadan in November 2025.
At the heart of the dispute is a legal battle over party leadership and the legitimacy of parallel conventions conducted by rival camps within the PDP. The Turaki faction argued that both the appellate court and the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, insisting it concerns internal party affairs that are not subject to judicial intervention.
The controversy traces back to October 2025, when Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja barred a faction led by Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed from conducting a planned convention in Ibadan. The court ruled that the party failed to conduct valid state congresses as required by law and party guidelines.
In a separate ruling, Justice Peter Lifu also restrained the convention following a suit filed by former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, who argued he was excluded from the contest for the party’s national chairmanship.
Despite these rulings, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) proceeded with the Ibadan convention, producing Turaki as national chairman alongside other party executives. However, the Wike-aligned faction boycotted the exercise and subsequently established a parallel leadership structure, including its own NWC, Board of Trustees (BoT), and National Executive Committee (NEC).
The situation intensified on March 9, 2026, when the Court of Appeal affirmed the Federal High Court’s decisions, dismissing the PDP leadership’s challenge to the lower court’s jurisdiction.
Undeterred, the Turaki-led faction has now taken the matter to the Supreme Court, raising five grounds of appeal. It contends that the appellate court erred in law by upholding a judgment on what it describes as purely internal party leadership issues.
Respondents in the case include party officials, state chapter leaders, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), among others.
With both factions pushing ahead with conflicting claims to legitimacy, the PDP faces a deepening leadership crisis that could significantly impact its political standing ahead of future elections.
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