Supreme Court Voids PDP’s Ibadan Gathering and Sacks Turaki-Led NWC; Justices Blast ‘Flagrant Disobedience’ of Court Orders in Suit Filed by Sule Lamido

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been plunged into a fresh existential crisis after the Supreme Court voided its November 2025 National Convention, effectively sacking the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee. In a high-stakes judgment delivered in Abuja today thursday, April 30, 2026, the apex court ruled that the convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State was a legal “house of cards” built on the defiance of a valid judicial order.

The crisis traces back to the “political trenches” of late 2025, when the party proceeded with its elective convention despite a restraining order from Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court. The order followed a grievance by foundation member and former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, who claimed he was blocked from purchasing nomination forms for the chairmanship. While the Seyi Makinde-backed faction argued that the convention was an internal party matter, the Supreme Court’s majority opinion was far more reaching.

Justice Stephen Adah, reading the lead judgment, stated that the party’s decision to forge ahead while a court order was in place amounted to a “threat to the administration of justice.” He noted that political parties are not above the law and must comply with the very constitutions they claim to uphold. “The disobedience of the court order is not in dispute,” Justice Adah held. “To allow such a convention to stand would be to invite anarchy into our democratic process.”

The fallout of the ruling is immediate. The Tanimu Turaki-led NWC, which has been steering the party toward a “mega-coalition” for the 2027 elections, now lacks any legal standing. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observers suggest that the party may now have to revert to a previous caretaker committee or organize an emergency congress to avoid being disqualified from the 2027 cycle altogether.

While the dissenting justices argued that the court should have stayed out of the “internal room” of the PDP, the majority decision has sent a clear signal through the political landscape: court orders are not suggestions. As the 2027 transition cycle gathers speed, the PDP finds itself without a captain, a compass, or a recognized headquarters, leaving the opposition’s script for the next election in total disarray.