Wike-Backed PDP Says Certified True Copy Not Officially Released By Supreme Court

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent Supreme Court judgment currently circulating in public was not officially released by the apex court.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the group maintained that the document lacked the required legal certification and therefore could not be regarded as an authentic court release.

“The PDP wishes to categorically state that the document currently in circulation was not officially released by the Supreme Court,” the statement said.

According to the party, “a careful examination of the purported CTC reveals that it falls short of the established requirements for proper certification of official court documents. The pages were neither duly certified, stamped, nor signed by any authorized court officer in accordance with legally recognized procedures.”

Despite questioning the authenticity of the circulating document, the faction argued that its contents still affirmed the leadership of acting National Chairman Abdulrahman and National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

“However, assuming without conceding that the said CTC was officially released by the Supreme Court, we make bold to state that the contents of the judgment further affirm the defeat suffered by Kabiru Turaki and others from the Federal High Court up to the Supreme Court,” the statement added.

The group also accused unnamed political actors of spreading misinformation about the party’s leadership structure following the judgment.

“Contrary to the misleading narratives being promoted in some sections of the media and political space, the Supreme Court did not suspend Senator Samuel Anyanwu or any member of the party leadership,” it stated.

“The apex court also did not direct the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) to assume control of the party, neither did it declare any vacuum within the party structure. We challenge anyone to point to any portion of the judgment where such pronouncements were made.”

The statement further argued that some individuals were promoting only the minority opinion in the judgment while ignoring the binding majority decision of the court.

“What certain individuals continue to promote in the media space is merely the minority opinion contained in the judgment, which upheld the appeal. However, the majority decision of the Supreme Court remains the binding and authoritative judgment of the court,” the PDP faction said.

The party also defended Senator Samuel Anyanwu, insisting that no legal pronouncement removed him from office.

It added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still recognizes Abdulrahman and Anyanwu as the legitimate leaders of the party.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not, at any point in time, recognized any persons as leaders of the PDP other than Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu up to this moment,” the statement said.

The faction urged party members to remain calm and continue supporting the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The party reassures all aspirants that the PDP will participate in the 2027 General Elections without any legal challenges,” it added.