PDP Leadership Crisis Deepens as Wike Loyalists Take Convention Dispute to Court

PDP Leadership Crisis Deepens as Wike Loyalists Take Convention Dispute to Court

The battle for control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Tuesday as loyalists of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to invalidate the party’s November 15–16 national convention in Ibadan.

The faction is requesting the court to declare the convention null and void and bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing any officers or decisions that emerged from the event.

In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, the plaintiffs—including the PDP (as listed), acting national chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, and national secretary Samuel Anyanwu—argue that the convention ignored multiple court rulings that should have guided the party’s actions.

READ ALSO:

• Trump orders Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan designated as terrorist organisations
• Senate Unveils National Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plan 2025–2030 to Strengthen Nigeria’s Security
• Kwara community vigilantes repel bandits in Isapa village

Specifically, the lawsuit references:

• The October 31 judgement in Austine Nwachukwu v INEC
• Interim and final November 11 and 14 rulings in Sule Lamido v PDP
• The May 31, 2023 ruling in Nyesom Wike v PDP

The plaintiffs allege that these rulings impacted the statutory 21-day notice required for the convention and should have prevented it from taking place. Despite this, the Ibadan convention proceeded, producing new national officers and announcing suspensions and expulsions, mostly affecting Wike-aligned members.

The suit also highlights tensions at the PDP national secretariat. In an affidavit, Anyanwu claimed that a rival faction attempted on November 18 to forcibly seize Wadata Plaza and Legacy House, and that security agencies instead blocked access to him and the acting chairman.

“The 2nd to 4th defendants have now sealed up the premises of the 1st plaintiff and denied the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs access to their offices,” the affidavit stated.

The plaintiffs are urging the court to direct INEC, the police, and the DSS to enforce previous rulings, prevent recognition of the Ibadan convention, and restore access to the PDP secretariat. They also seek clarification on whether any authority can legally validate the convention given the pending court judgments.

The case has not yet been assigned to a judge, leaving the fate of the PDP leadership dispute unresolved.

PDP Leadership Crisis Deepens as Wike Loyalists Take Convention Dispute to Court