The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party held an emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday following a recent court ruling affecting the party.
The meeting took place at the lodge of Bala Mohammed and brought together several prominent members of the party.
The gathering was led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara. Among those present were Seyi Makinde, Tanimu Turaki, and Umar Damagum.
Other attendees included former PDP Deputy National Chairman Bode George, former Information Minister Jerry Gana, and former governor of Niger State Babangida Aliyu, alongside several other party leaders.
In his opening remarks, Wabara said the recent judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal provides an opportunity for the party to reorganize and move forward.
Earlier in the day, the caretaker committee of the PDP led by Abdulrahman Mohamed addressed journalists, describing the appellate court’s decision as confirmation of his committee as the legitimate leadership of the party.
According to him, with the court ruling now delivered, the committee intends to proceed with preparations for the party’s national convention, which has been scheduled to take place later this month.
The development follows a judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirming an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court that restrained the Peoples Democratic Party from conducting its national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.
The decision was delivered on Monday by a three-member panel of the appellate court, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Abuja to hear the case.
Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that the party failed to comply with constitutional provisions required for organizing a valid convention.
He agreed with the earlier finding that the party did not serve a valid notice of the convention to the Independent National Electoral Commission as required by law.
The appellate court further ruled that congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states as stipulated by law before the convention was held.
Onyemenam also stated that the issues raised by the plaintiffs in the lower court should not be treated as internal party matters.
The court concluded that the Federal High Court acted correctly in assuming jurisdiction and issuing an order restraining INEC from accepting or recognizing the outcome of the national convention.
“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022, and party Constitution and guidelines are at the heart of democratic governance, and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the court held.
What you should know
The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following legal disputes over the legitimacy of its leadership and convention processes.
The Court of Appeal ruling has reinforced earlier concerns about whether the party followed constitutional and electoral guidelines before holding its 2025 national convention in Ibadan.
As a result, the PDP leadership and key organs such as the Board of Trustees are now working to resolve internal disputes and move forward with plans for another convention aimed at stabilizing the party ahead of future political contests in Nigeria.
