Court bars Turaki-led faction from accessing PDP secretariat
A federal high court in Abuja has restrained a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki from accessing the party’s national secretariat.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted the order in a suit filed by PDP members loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The court also directed security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), to provide protection for the Wike-backed faction to operate from the party’s national headquarters.
Abdulmalik ruled that the national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, which produced the Turaki-led faction, was conducted in defiance of existing court orders. She held that the exercise was null and void, citing a breach of Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the PDP constitution.
The judge further described the expulsion of Wike and his allies during the convention as a violation of court orders and an affront to democratic principles.
“All proceedings, resolutions and decisions taken at the said convention, including the suspension of members of the first plaintiff, were unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void,” she said.
Background
Tensions within the PDP escalated on November 18, 2025, when supporters of both factions clashed at the party’s Wadata Plaza headquarters in Abuja.
The suit was filed by Wike’s faction, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, then acting national chairman, and Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary. They sought to stop the Turaki-led group from representing the party and to prevent security agencies from granting them access to the secretariat.
They also asked the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any office address other than the one already on record.
Earlier, the court had issued an interim order directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case.
The Turaki faction challenged the order at the court of appeal and also requested a stay of proceedings. Additionally, they asked the trial judge to withdraw from the case, alleging bias.
The judgment
In her ruling, Abdulmalik dismissed the allegation of bias, stating that it was not supported by credible evidence. She noted that dissatisfaction with a judge’s decision should be addressed through an appeal, not recusal.
On the substantive matter, the court held that the defendants disobeyed subsisting court orders by proceeding with the Ibadan convention.
“The defendants are bound to comply with and give full effect to existing judgments of the federal high court,” the judge said.
She ruled that the convention, including the election of officers and suspension of members, remains invalid.
The court further restrained the Turaki-led faction from entering or using the party’s national secretariat or interfering with its activities.
It also barred INEC from recognising any address for the PDP other than the one already in its official records.
