The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, is set to take a significant step toward resolving the lingering leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, with the planned adoption of harmonised briefs filed by parties to the dispute.
This followed proceedings at the appellate court on Wednesday in Abuja, where prominent party figures were in attendance. Among those sighted were leaders of the PDP aligned with the governors-backed national chairman, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), members of the National Working Committee (NWC), and serving governors including Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
The Turaki-led faction is seeking judicial affirmation of its authenticity following a ruling by the Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, which nullified the PDP’s November 2025 national convention that produced the current NWC.
The move to harmonise the appeals is aimed at paving the way for a definitive judgment in the internal dispute that has split the former ruling party into rival factions and weakened its cohesion since the 2023 general election.
The Court of Appeal is handling appeals arising from three conflicting judgments delivered by different divisions of the Federal High Court. Two of the judgments were delivered by Justices Peter Lifu and James Omotosho of the Abuja Division, while the third came from Justice Uche of the Ibadan Division.
In the Abuja cases, the courts barred the faction led by former Jigawa State governor, Taminu Turaki, from holding the PDP’s national convention in Ibadan in November 2025, ruling that the processes leading to the convention violated party guidelines and subsisting court orders.
However, in a separate judgment, the Ibadan Division went further to nullify the convention after it was held, declaring it invalid and restraining officials elected at the gathering from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
These conflicting rulings deepened the PDP’s leadership crisis, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s national leadership and control of the secretariat. While the Turaki-led group maintains it is the authentic national leadership, a rival camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, continues to challenge its legitimacy.
To avoid further contradictory outcomes, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal ordered the Turaki faction to regularise and harmonise its appeals against the three judgments. All parties were also directed to align their processes for a unified hearing.
At Thursday’s sitting, both the Turaki faction and the Wike-aligned camp are expected to formally adopt their briefs of argument, after which the court is expected to fix a date for judgment.
The leadership tussle dates back to the PDP’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election, which exposed longstanding divisions over zoning, the influence of governors, and control of the national secretariat. The crisis worsened following Wike’s open support for President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress during the election.
Several reconciliation efforts by the PDP’s Board of Trustees and other stakeholders have failed, as rival factions opted to pursue their claims through the courts.
The outcome of the appeal is expected to determine the legitimate leadership of the PDP and shape its internal power balance ahead of off-cycle governorship elections and the 2027 general election.