By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a decisive ruling barring the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to Kabiru Turaki from accessing the party’s national secretariat.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik validated the leadership of the faction aligned with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The court also ordered security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS), to provide adequate protection for the Wike-led group when accessing the secretariat.
At the core of the judgment, Justice Abdulmalik declared the purported national convention held by the Turaki-led faction on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, as a nullity. She ruled that the convention, including the election of party officials, was conducted in defiance of valid court orders.
The judge emphasized that the action violated Section 287(3) of the Nigerian Constitution, which mandates that all authorities and persons enforce the decisions of federal courts. She also noted the convention contravened the PDP’s constitution.
Justice Abdulmalik specifically condemned the expulsion of Wike and his allies during the disputed convention, describing it as a direct affront to a subsisting court judgment. “Such action has no place where the rule of law is practiced,” she stated. Consequently, she held that all proceedings, resolutions, and decisions from the Ibadan convention—including the suspension of party members—were “unconstitutional, unlawful, null, and void.”
The suit was filed by a faction of the PDP led by its acting National Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, and factional National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu. The plaintiffs sought to prevent the police and DSS from allowing the Turaki-led leadership to access the party’s national secretariat at Wadara Plaza. They also sought to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing any office address submitted by the Turaki faction other than the one already on record.
Prior to the judgment, Justice Abdulmalik had granted an ex-parte order directing parties to maintain the status quo. In response, the Turaki-led faction challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal and filed motions for the judge to recuse herself and to stay proceedings. The judge, however, proceeded with the case, asserting her duty to uphold the constitution.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik noted that the Turaki faction proceeded with their convention despite clear judgments—later affirmed by the Court of Appeal—that remained in force. She concluded that the plaintiffs’ case had merit, granting all the declaratory and injunctive reliefs sought.
The court affirmed that the Wike-led faction is entitled to remain in office and retain full use of the party’s national secretariat and properties.
