Wike, Fayose, Olawepo-Hashim canvass reconciliation
The hammer fell on Monday on the disputed National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Alhaji Taminu Turaki.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld two Federal High Court judgments that voided the national convention which produced the factional party officers on November 15 last year in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
In its verdict on the nine consolidated appeals arising from the party leadership tussle, the court, presided over by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the convention held at Adamasingba Stadium because it violated the Electoral Act as well as the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).
Four of the issues were resolved against the Turaki faction, which, in its reaction, insisted that the internal affairs of the party should not be subjected to court pronouncements.
Rejecting the verdicts, Turaki, who was present in court along with other chieftains from his camp, announced that they would appeal to the Supreme Court.
But basking in the euphoria of the judgment that favoured the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee, its Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, announced that the party would hold its national convention on March 28 and 29.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, who is the arrowhead of the Wike/Anyanwu faction that set up the National Caretaker Committee, said the judgments have given the party leadership ample opportunity to reconcile.
Also, the pioneer Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, sued for peace and urged the gladiators to unite.
The former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, who hailed the judgment, said it is time for reconciliation and for the party to move forward.
The judgments voiding the convention were delivered last year by Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in two suits filed by four aggrieved members of the PDP.
The first was delivered on October 31, 2025, by Justice Omotosho in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025 filed by three aggrieved members of the party – Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP Chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP Chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
Defendants in the suit were INEC, the PDP, Anyanwu, the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, the NWC and the National Executive Committee (NEC).
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The second was the judgment delivered by Justice Lifu on November 14 last year, ordering the PDP not to proceed with the convention until a national chairmanship aspirant, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, was permitted to participate in the elective convention.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025, Lamido had alleged that he was being denied the opportunity to contest.
The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously affirmed the two judgments of the Federal High Court and dismissed the seven appeals filed against them for being unmeritorious.
The first appeal decided was the one filed by the PDP and two others, marked CA/ABJ/1613/2025, against the judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho. It was dismissed after the court resolved the four issues identified for determination against the appellants.
Justice Onyemenam, in the lead judgment, held that the appeal filed by the PDP lacked merit and that the Federal High Court was right to have delivered the October 31 judgment and granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.
The Court of Appeal faulted the PDP’s claim that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case because the issues involved were purely internal affairs of the party.
The court also held that the plaintiffs had the locus standi to institute the suit in protection of their democratic rights and that the PDP was not denied a fair hearing as claimed in its appeal.
The court awarded N2 million in costs against the PDP for filing what it described as a frivolous appeal.
On the issue of representation, the court held that the former National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), lacked the legal authority to further represent the party or file court documents in its name after he was suspended and later expelled.
The court decided to determine the appeals filed in the name of the PDP based on documents filed by a team of lawyers engaged by the former National Chairman, Umar Damagun, and later the Turaki-led NWC, headed by Chris Uche (SAN).
Dismissing the appeal, the court awarded N2 million costs against the appellants.
The second appeal, which was also against the same judgment, was filed by National Vice Chairmen Ali Odefa (Southeast) and Emmanuel Ogidi (South-South).
The court dismissed the appeal, marked CA/ABI/CV/1614/2025, because they were not parties in the suit that led to the judgment.
Although they were initially joined as parties at the trial court, the court later removed them after finding that they were not necessary parties.
The court added that even if they intended to appeal as interested parties, they ought to have first sought the leave of the court, which they failed to do.
It proceeded to award N2 million in costs against them.
The third judgment was on the appeal marked CA/ABJ/1695/2025 filed by the PDP against the November 14 judgment by Justice Lifu.
In the lead judgment by Justice Onyemenam, the court affirmed the November 14 judgment, holding that the PDP national convention held in defiance of a valid and subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Abuja was contemptuous and a disrespect to the court.
The court noted that it was not in dispute that the appellant (the PDP) proceeded to conduct the convention despite a subsisting order directing it to provide an opportunity for Lamido to participate.
The court rejected the argument by the PDP that it proceeded with the convention in obedience to a judgment of another court of coordinate jurisdiction.
It held that it was not for any party to decide which court order to obey or ignore.
The court further held that what the PDP ought to have done was to apply for a stay of execution of the order or file an appeal against the judgment.
The court condemned the appellant’s contemptuous conduct and held that the trial court was right to assume jurisdiction over Lamido’s case and grant the reliefs sought.
It dismissed the appeal and awarded N2 million costs against the PDP.
The fourth judgment was on the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CS/1770/2027 filed by Damagun, Turaki and Taofeek Arapaja against a November 2025 bench ruling by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in which she ordered parties to maintain the status quo in relation to a suit challenging the Turaki-led NWC.
The Court of Appeal struck out the appeal after finding that all the grounds on which it was based and the issues distilled for determination were incompetent.
The fifth judgment was on the appeal filed by Damagun against the October 31, 2025, judgment by Justice Omotosho.
The court dismissed the appeal on the ground that, having ceased to be the Chairman of the PDP and the PDP having appealed the same judgment under a new leadership, he was no longer qualified to file an appeal on behalf of the party.
The court noted that no specific orders were made against him personally, adding that he failed to show how he was personally affected by the judgment.
The appellate court held that he did not qualify as a person aggrieved within the meaning of Section 243(1) of the Constitution, and that filing an appeal as a former officer without a subsisting grievance amounted to a waste of judicial time and an abuse of court process.
The court awarded N2 million in costs against him.
The appellate court also dismissed two appeals filed by Ajibade on behalf of the PDP against the two judgments delivered by Justices Omotosho and Lifu.
The suits marked CA/ABJ/1631/2025 and CA/ABJ/1728/2025 were dismissed, with a cost of N4 million awarded against the lawyer personally.
The last judgment was on the appeal marked CA/ABJ/1748/2025 filed by the three plaintiffs in the suit in which Justice Omotosho delivered his judgment.
They had queried why the trial court failed to strike out Damagun’s name as a party in the suit.
The appellate court dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and awarded N2 million costs against them.
Justice Omotosho had, among others, issued an order restraining INEC from recognising the outcome of the national convention.
He held that the PDP failed to comply with relevant conditions under its constitution and applicable laws stipulating the necessary steps to be taken before conducting such a convention.
Justice Omotosho also held that evidence supplied by INEC and some respondents showed that congresses were not held in some states of the federation in breach of the law.
He further found that the signing of notices and correspondence of the PDP by its National Chairman without the National Secretary violated the law and rendered such notices and correspondence a nullity.
The judge also held that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21-day notice of meetings and congresses to enable INEC to perform its statutory duty of monitoring them.
He added that the party’s failure to comply with the law had put the planned convention in jeopardy and advised the PDP to do the needful before proceeding with the election.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu ordered the PDP to make arrangements for Lamido to contest for the position of national chairman at the convention.
He also directed the party to provide an opportunity for Lamido to obtain the nomination form for the position and prepare for the election.
Justice Lifu restrained INEC from supervising, monitoring or recognising the outcome of any convention the party would hold without Lamido’s inclusion as a contestant.
The judge held that evidence before the court showed that Lamido was unjustly denied the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest, contrary to the Constitution and Regulations of the PDP.
He said the party was under an obligation to create opportunities for its members to serve by putting deliberate measures in place to enable them to realise their aspirations.
Justice Lifu ordered that the planned convention must be put on hold to allow the plaintiff (Lamido) to obtain the nomination form, mobilise his supporters and conduct his campaign.
The Nation
