A fresh chapter has opened in the deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has filed a major lawsuit seeking to nullify the party’s recently concluded national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, was instituted by the PDP, Acting National Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu—all of whom belong to the Wike-aligned bloc. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the November 15–16 Ibadan convention and all decisions taken there as “null, void, and of no effect.”
At the Ibadan gathering, party leaders moved decisively, announcing the expulsion of Wike, Anyanwu, former Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose, and eight others, a decision that immediately intensified internal hostilities. The convention also produced a new leadership structure, including Umar Damagum and Kabiru Turaki, now recognised by many mainstream PDP stakeholders as national chairman and top officers of the party.
But the Wike-led faction insists the convention violated three subsisting judgments of the Federal High Court, including rulings in
- Austine Nwachukwu v INEC & Ors (31 October),
- Sule Lamido v PDP & Ors (11 and 14 November), and
- Nyesom Wike v PDP & Ors (31 May 2023).
According to the plaintiffs, these judgments invalidated the 21-day notice required for a valid convention and explicitly restrained the PDP from holding the exercise. They argue that despite these binding orders, the defendants “organised themselves and their cohorts” to convene the Ibadan meeting and “purportedly elected national officers” while also announcing suspensions and expulsions of key leaders.
In an affidavit presented to the court, Anyanwu also alleged that the opposing camp attempted on November 18 to forcibly take over the PDP’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza and Legacy House. Instead of enforcing earlier court orders, he said, police and DSS operatives “sealed up” the buildings and denied legitimate officials entry.
The faction is therefore asking the court to restrain INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, the FCT Commissioner of Police, and the DSS from recognising the Ibadan convention or its outcomes. They are equally seeking orders stopping the newly announced officers from parading themselves as PDP leaders and compelling security agencies to grant the plaintiffs access to both Abuja secretariat buildings.
They further seek a declaration that INEC cannot accept any change of address or headquarters for the PDP outside its two recognised Abuja locations. The suit also asks the court to determine whether any authority can legally recognise the Ibadan convention in light of the existing judgments, the PDP constitution, and the Electoral Act.
As of the time of filing, the case had not yet been assigned to a judge, and no date has been fixed for hearing. Political analysts say the suit is likely to escalate the already volatile power struggle, as both factions continue to battle for control of the opposition party’s national structure.