PDP crisis: Wike, Anyanwu ask court to bar INEC, others from recognising Ibadan convention

The ongoing crisis in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a new turn on Tuesday as the Nyesom Wike and Samuel Anyanwu faction filed a fresh suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the national convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on November 15 and 16.

Recall that the group had boycotted the elective convention where new members of the National Working Committee (NWC), led by Kabiru Turaki, were elected to run the affairs of the party.

The group anchored its decision on the grounds that the Federal High Court, Abuja, had in a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotoso, suspended the convention.

They also argued that the convention was illegal, based on the judgment delivered on October 31 in FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025: Austine Nwachukwu v INEC & Ors; as well as the interim order of November 11 and the judgment of November 14 in FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025: Alhaji Sule Lamido v PDP & Ors.

But the faction loyal to Turaki later secured the approval of an Ibadan High Court to conduct the convention.

Following the Ibadan judgment, the party went ahead to hold the convention on November 15 and 16, taking far-reaching decisions, including the expulsion of Nyesom Wike, Samuel Anyanwu, Ayo Fayose, among others, for engaging in anti-party activities.

BusinessDay gathered that in the suit, which is yet to be assigned to a judge and has no date fixed for hearing, and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, the Wike group is praying the court to declare the convention and all decisions taken at the event as “null, void and of no effect”.

The plaintiffs, Mohammed Abdulrahman, the faction’s acting national chairman, and Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary, are also seeking an order of the court restraining security agencies and INEC from recognising the defendants — including Umar Damagum, Kabiru Turaki, new national chairman, and other prominent members — as PDP officials.

The plaintiffs, in their originating summons, argue that the Ibadan convention was conducted in flagrant disregard of three subsisting judgements of the Federal High Court.

These include the judgement delivered on October 31 in FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025: between Austine Nwachukwu v INEC & Ors; as well as the interim order of November 11 and judgement of November 14 in FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025 between Alhaji Sule Lamido v PDP & Ors.

They also cited on the judgement delivered on May 31, 2023, in FHC/ABJ/CS/139/2023: Nyesom Wike v PDP & Ors.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, the FCT commissioner of police, and the DSS are constitutionally bound to enforce the above judgements and give full effect to their provisions.

They are also also asking for an order of the court restraining the defendants from recognising or giving effect to the Ibadan convention or any decisions made there, as well as an order preventing the sixth to 25th defendants from parading themselves as officials of the PDP.

They also seek the court order directing the security agencies to provide adequate protection for them and to grant them access to Wadata Plaza and Legacy House for the purpose of conducting the affairs of the party.

They said the court must also restrain INEC from accepting any change of address for the PDP other than the two existing official locations in Abuja.

Others include the court’s determination, as to whether any authority or institution can lawfully recognise the Ibadan convention in view of the subsisting judgements and the provisions of the constitution, the Electoral Act, and the PDP constitution.

They averred that various decisions had nullified the 21-day notice issued for the national convention and had expressly restrained the party from conducting the exercise.

They argued that the Turaki led group “organised themselves and their cohorts” and convened a gathering in Ibadan where they purportedly elected national officers and announced the expulsion of some prominent party members.

Anyanwu, in his affidavit, alleged that the Turaki led group, also unsuccessfully attempted to “forcibly take control” of the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza and Legacy House in Abuja, on the 18th of November.

He added that instead of enforcing the subsisting court orders, the police and Department of State Services (DSS) “sealed up” the secretariat and denied the legitimate officers of the party access to the buildings.

“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 reads.