Supreme Court Verdict Has Left PDP Without Defined Leadership, Turaki-Led Group Claims

The Tanimu Turaki-led bloc within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that the party is currently without a clearly defined leadership structure following the Supreme Court judgment on the suspension of key members of the Nyesom Wike-backed camp.

In a statement signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, spokesperson for what the group describes as the “Uncompromised PDP,” the faction warned that the latest judicial pronouncement has pushed the opposition party toward what it called a “dangerous bend.”

According to the statement, a five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Mohammed Garba, delivered a 3–2 split decision that upheld earlier rulings of both the Court of Appeal of Nigeria and the Federal High Court of Nigeria, nullifying the party’s convention held in Ibadan.

It added that the majority judgment—backed by Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba—rested on the position that the appellants acted in disobedience of a valid and subsisting Federal High Court judgment. On that basis, the court held that parties found to be in contempt could not be granted relief at the apex court, leading to the dismissal of the appeal.

The statement further noted that the dissenting justices—Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar—argued that the matter was strictly an internal affair of the PDP and therefore non-justiciable. They maintained that the courts lacked jurisdiction, as the dispute did not involve any action by a federal government agency but rather a leadership contest within a political party.

It also stated that the minority criticized the majority for raising issues suo motu (on its own initiative) without giving the parties the opportunity to address them, describing this as inconsistent with established judicial principles.

The Turaki-aligned group said the implication of the ruling—alongside the Court of Appeal’s earlier suspension of Ajibade (SAN), Anyanwu, and others—is that the PDP is now left without a clearly recognized leadership.

“This effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership,” the statement said, urging the party’s existing organs to take urgent steps to restore order and legitimacy.

Describing the situation as a critical juncture, the group warned that the crisis could have broader implications beyond the party itself.

“This leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend, which, if not carefully navigated, may not only affect the party but also multi-party democracy in our country,” the statement added.