BREAKING: Supreme Court upholds nullification of Ibadan PDP Convention

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has upheld the nullification of the national convention organised by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibadan, Oyo State, delivering a significant setback to the group aligned with former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, SAN.

In a majority decision delivered on Thursday, a five-member panel of the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Turaki-led faction, affirming earlier judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal which had voided the disputed convention.

Delivering the lead judgment in appeal number SC/CV/164/2026, Justice Stephen Adah ruled that the appellants proceeded with the convention in defiance of a subsisting order of the Federal High Court restraining them from conducting the exercise.

“The appellants violated a subsisting order of the Federal High Court restraining them from proceeding with the planned convention,” Justice Adah held.

The Supreme Court also struck out the cross-appeals and directed all parties to bear their respective costs.

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The panel noted that the breach of the court order was not disputed by the appellants and agreed with the lower courts that the faction abused judicial process by obtaining a conflicting order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction in Ibadan after an earlier restraining order had been issued.

Justice Adah further held that the lower courts were right in relying on Sections 221, 222 and 229 of the 1999 Constitution, emphasising that political parties are bound to strictly comply with constitutional provisions, electoral guidelines, and valid court orders in the conduct of their internal affairs.

The dispute originated from a March 9 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the earlier decision of the Federal High Court nullifying the convention and restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising its outcome.

The apex court had reserved judgment on April 22 after hearing arguments from counsel to the parties before delivering its verdict on Thursday.

The ruling effectively puts to rest the legal battle over the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention and reinforces the judiciary’s stance on compliance with court orders in political party activities.