Supreme Court Judgment: BoT Now in Charge of PDP – Wabara

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has formally assumed control of the party’s national leadership following the Supreme Court ruling that invalidated its recent convention, with BoT Chairman Adolphus Wabara declaring the move a constitutional necessity.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Wabara said the BoT stepped in “with the utmost sense of duty and responsibility” to prevent a leadership vacuum after the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He noted that the intervention was backed by the provisions of the party’s constitution.

“This constitutional intervention of the BoT is so as not to allow any leadership vacuum at the national level of our party,” he said.

Wabara explained that the apex court invalidated the PDP’s November 2025 national convention in Ibadan, which produced the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC). He added that the court also upheld the suspension of key officials, including Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, and Kamaldeen Ajibade.

According to him, the implication of the judgment is far-reaching. “All actions taken by Senator Samuel Anyanwu… including the appointment of Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman… are illegal, null and ab initio void,” he stated.

He said the nullification of both the Turaki-led and Abdulrahman Mohammed-led structures effectively leaves the BoT as the highest functioning organ of the party. “The statutory onus of leadership… now rests on the shoulders of the Board of Trustees,” Wabara added, citing the PDP constitution.

The BoT chairman announced that the body has “immediately assumed responsibility of the national working leadership of the PDP” as a remedial step to stabilize the party and promote reconciliation.

He further disclosed that an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting would be convened to appoint an interim National Working Committee to run the party’s affairs and ensure compliance with the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wabara also directed all PDP staff to resume work at the party’s national secretariat under the BoT’s leadership pending the appointment of the interim leadership.

He commended party stakeholders, including governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde, as well as other organs of the party, for their resilience during the crisis.

Calling for unity, Wabara urged members to set aside personal interests and work together. “The PDP has suffered enough… The time has come for us to make sacrifices, sheathe our swords and embrace genuine reconciliation,” he said, warning that the crisis has ultimately affected Nigerians who look to the party for leadership.