The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing a leadership crisis after the Supreme Court, on Thursday, April 30, nullified the party’s Ibadan convention and dismissed an appeal by party members.
A statement signed by the PDP spokesperson Comrade Ini Ememobong on Thursday noted that the court ruling posed a serious setback.
As maintained by the statement, the Supreme Court in a split decision of three to two upheld earlier judgements by the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, which had declared the Ibadan convention invalid.
The majority judgement, delivered by Justices Mohammed Garba, Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, and Stephen Adah, held that the appellants acted in contempt of an existing Federal High Court order.
The court ruled that because of this, “the appellants cannot be accommodated in the apex court,” and dismissed their appeal.
But two justices disagreed. Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar ruled that the case involved internal party matters and should not have been decided by the courts.
They stated that “the two appeals emanate from matters which are internal affairs of the PDP and are therefore non-justiciable.”
They also faulted the majority for raising issues on its own without giving parties a chance to respond, noting that this goes against established court practice.
The ruling also upheld the suspension of some party figures, including Ajibade, SAN, and Anyanwu.
As a result, Ememobong said the party is now left “without a defined leadership.”
Ememobong warned that the situation could weaken the PDP if not handled carefully.
He said the development “leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend,” adding that it could affect not just the party but also the wider democratic system in Nigeria.
Despite the setback, the group expressed hope that existing party structures would act quickly to resolve the crisis.
It was noted that the party’s organs are expected to “take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership on it going forward.”
This saga shows concerns within the PDP about stability and direction after the court’s decision.
As such, how the party responds in the coming days may define its strength ahead of future political contests.