The Tanimu Turaki and Nyesom Wike group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have clashed over the judgment at the Supreme Court, which nullified the convention that brought them on board as National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
The verdict also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Samuel Anyanwu, and others.
National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led PDP, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said that the judgment effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership.
In a statement, “PDP Leadership: A Dangerous Bend,” Ememobong said the Supreme Court of Nigeria, through a five-man panel presided over by Justice Mohammed Garba, in a split decision (3–2), upheld the judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, wherein the convention held in Ibadan was nullified.
He said the three Justices (Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba) hinged their judgments on the disrespect of a valid, subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court and therefore held that, being in contempt, the appellants cannot be accommodated in the apex court, thereby dismissing the appeal.
He added: “However, the minority judgments by Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar held that the two appeals emanate from matters which are internal affairs of the PDP and are therefore non-justiciable. The case at the FHC was not challenging any act or decision of any federal government agency but the leadership contest of the party, and therefore not justiciable.
“Furthermore, they held that it is not the duty of the court to fish out matters to execute the case for the respondent, because the majority judgment undertook the duty of raising matters suo motu without calling on the parties to address them. This is against the position of the apex court, wherein parties must be given the opportunity to address the court on matters raised suo motu.”
According to him, with the split judgment, which also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Anyanwu, and others, this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership.
He added:”To this end, we are certain that the existing organs of the party will take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership on it going forward.
“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.”
Reacting, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has said that the lingering factional crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been resolved, following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirming the party’s leadership and convention.
He maintained that the judgment had effectively laid to rest disputes over parallel leadership structures within the party.
He also dismissed claims that the apex court affirmed the suspension of the PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, insisting that such an issue was not before the court.
The Supreme Court, he said, dismissed appeals challenging earlier judgments of lower courts, thereby upholding the legitimacy of the party’s convention and its current leadership.
“Today, the Supreme Court has brought to an end the so-called factions of the PDP. There is no more faction in the party. There is only one PDP,” he said.
He added that attempts by aggrieved members to overturn the outcome of the convention had failed at all judicial levels.
“The Supreme Court has validated our convention and set aside all claims to any parallel structure. What this means is that the PDP has come to stay as one united party,” he stated.
The minister emphasized the need for political actors to operate within the ambit of the law, warning against actions capable of undermining party constitutions and electoral regulations.
“The fact that you are in a position does not mean you can act outside the law. There are rules guiding party activities, and those rules must be followed,” he said.
He also downplayed the influence of some defectors who left the party during the crisis, describing them as politically insignificant, while noting that those who exited out of uncertainty could reconsider their decision.
“Those who left are not electoral assets; they are liabilities. However, those who left out of uncertainty may reconsider and return now that the situation is clear,” he said.
On ongoing coalition talks among opposition figures, Wike ruled out participation in alliances that lack clear national interest.
“We do not believe in opposition for opposition’s sake. Our approach is constructive, not destructive,” he added.
He further noted that recent judicial pronouncements reinforce the need for due process in political activities, urging aggrieved parties to seek redress through the courts.
Wike maintained that the PDP remains the country’s foremost opposition platform and is well positioned to provide credible alternatives in the democratic process.
“The PDP is stable, united and ready to play its role effectively. What has happened today is a victory for the rule of law and internal democracy,” he added.