Supreme court fixes April 22 to hear PDP leadership crisis appeals

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has scheduled April 22, 2026, to hear two appeals arising from the leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a move that could affect the party’s stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The appeals, filed by a faction of the PDP led by Kabiru Turaki, seek to overturn an earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal which nullified the party’s Ibadan National Convention held in November 2025.

A five-member panel of the court, chaired by Justice Lawal Garba, granted the applicants’ request for an accelerated hearing, including a departure from standard timelines to allow for the abridgement of time in filing briefs.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, Chris Uche (SAN), counsel to the Turaki faction, urged the court to treat the matter with urgency, citing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable and the implications for party preparedness ahead of the 2027 polls.

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An affidavit of urgency was also filed in support of the application.

In the first appeal, which pits the Turaki-led group against a faction aligned with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the court directed that hearing notices be served on all parties, including a respondent who was absent at the proceedings.

The court further ordered all nine respondents to file their responses within five days, rejecting a request for an extended timeline to compile records from the lower court proceedings.

The second appeal involves a dispute between the Turaki faction and former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, who had challenged his exclusion from the party’s national chairmanship contest.

His suit had previously resulted in an order by the Federal High Court halting the convention.

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Both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had issued rulings against the Turaki faction, including nullifying the convention, restraining INEC from recognising its outcomes, and, in some instances, limiting access to the party’s national secretariat.

The appellants, however, contend that the dispute falls within internal party affairs, which they argue are not subject to judicial intervention. They maintain that due process was followed in the conduct of the convention.

The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to clarify the leadership structure of the PDP, with implications for opposition politics and electoral positioning ahead of 2027.