PDP Crisis Deepens as Appeal Court Sacks Turaki-led NWC, Upholds Ibadan Convention Nullification

​The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dealt a major blow to the Taminu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), invalidating the party’s National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

​In a unanimous judgment delivered on Monday, March 9, 2026, a three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the appeals filed by the Turaki faction, seeking to set aside an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court.

​The court held that the convention, which took place between November 15 and 16, 2025, was conducted in flagrant defiance of existing court orders. The Ibadan gathering had produced the current Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), a leadership structure that has now been legally dismantled.

​Adding to the legal setback, the appellate court awarded a ₦2 million fine as cost against the appellants, including Mr. Turaki and other members of the embattled NWC.

​This ruling marks the first decisive appellate intervention in the leadership tussle that has rocked Nigeria’s main opposition party for months. The crisis had previously been fueled by a series of conflicting judgments from various High Courts in Abuja and Ibadan.

​With this development, the internal friction within the PDP is expected to move to the Supreme Court. The apex court’s eventual verdict will serve as the final word on the legitimate leadership of the party as it navigates the road toward the 2027 general elections.

​Political observers believe the ruling further complicates the party’s stability, coming at a time when rival parties have mocked the PDP’s persistent internal “confusion.”