The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Monday, affirmed the judgment that barred the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from proceeding with the national convention it held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2026.

That convention produced a factional leadership for the party, with Senior Advocate of Nigeria Taminu Turaki, SAN, as National Chairman.

In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the appellate court said it was satisfied that the statutory condition precedents were not met before the convention was held.

It held that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja was right in the judgment he delivered on October 31, 2025, which stopped the planned convention.

It dismissed the contention of the Turaki-led faction of the PDP that the court lacked the jurisdiction to meddle in the domestic affairs of the party.

According to the appellate court, the trial court properly assumed jurisdiction in the matter since it sought to ensure compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as the Guidelines and Regulations for political parties.

It held that there was merit in the substantive suit that led to the intervention of the high court.

Consequently, the Justice Mohammed Danjuma-led panel of the Appeal Court dismissed the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1613/2025, which was filed by the Turaki-led faction of the PDP.

It will be recalled that the high court had, in its judgement, held that evidence before it established that the PDP failed to comply with relevant statutory provisions and guidelines before it proceeded to conduct the convention.

The court upheld a suit that was lodged by three aggrieved members of the party, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South), who are aligned with a faction of the party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Specifically, the court faulted the PDP for its failure to conduct valid state congresses in 14 states of the federation before the convention was fixed.

The court held that it was impossible for the convention to be held when congresses to produce delegates that would vote for the national officers had not been held in the various states.

Besides, it noted that notices for the national convention were signed by only the National Chairman of the party, excluding the National Secretary.

Justice Omotosho held that such notices and correspondences amounted to a nullity in the eyes of the law, adding that the failure of the PDP to comply with the laid-down procedures placed the scheduled convention in jeopardy.

Consequently, he directed the party to go back and put its house in order and to equally send the statutory 21-day notice of meetings and congresses to INEC to enable it to monitor the processes.

Cited as defendants in the matter were INEC, PDP, its National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, two national officers of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi, as well as the NWC and NEC of the party.

The plaintiffs had contended that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, made it mandatory for INEC to monitor the congress of every political party before it could be deemed to have been validly conducted.

They told the court that no valid notice was served on INEC for the purpose of the planned convention.

The court, while agreeing with them, dismissed preliminary objections the defendants filed to challenge its jurisdiction to meddle in what they insisted was an internal affair of a political party.

The court proceeded to restrain INEC from receiving, publishing or recognising the outcome of the convention slated for Ibadan, pending when the relevant laws and regulations were complied with by the PDP.

It held that the electoral body was not obligated to give effect to the outcome of the convention a political party conducted without strict adherence to the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2022, and its own guidelines.

The court stressed that the party was not entitled to hold a national convention until it provided a proper framework for the election of delegates that would participate in the exercise.

However, shortly after the judgment was delivered, the party secured a contradictory order that allowed it to proceed with the convention.

The Turaki-led faction subsequently lodged the appeal that was dismissed on Monday with a cost of N2 million.