Supreme Court nullifies Ibadan convention, restores Anyanwu-led PDP secretariat

The Supreme Court has affirmed the nullification of the Peoples Democratic Party’s November 2025 national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, restoring the party’s pre-convention leadership structure as the sole recognised authority.

The judgment, delivered on Thursday, upheld earlier rulings by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had voided the convention conducted on November 15 and 16, 2025. With the Ibadan convention struck down, any structures arising from it are without legal standing.

The party’s Board of Trustees, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, said the ruling reaffirms Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu as National Secretary, describing the duo as “the valid and stabilising authority” to manage the PDP’s national affairs.

The BOT said it “fully respects and accepts” the apex court’s decision and urged all party members to remain focused and united.

In a bid to close ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections, the BOT directed the National Working Committee to immediately constitute a National Reconciliation Committee to reach out to aggrieved members across the country.

The PDP has been embroiled in a protracted internal crisis over the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention, which had produced a rival leadership faction.

Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling effectively ends that dispute in favour of the Anyanwu-led secretariat.