Turaki faction takes PDP leadership fight to Supreme Court after Appeal Court loss
- The Court of Appeal upheld a Federal High Court ruling refusing to order INEC to recognise the Turaki-led PDP committee.
- The appeal was filed by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara and seven others.
- The Turaki faction says it respects the ruling but has told its lawyers to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The leadership fight inside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is heading to the Supreme Court. The faction led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said on Wednesday it will challenge a Court of Appeal judgment that went against it.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal filed by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara and seven others. The case, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1221/2026, was against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and six other respondents.
The appellants had asked the court to set aside a Federal High Court judgment by Justice Salim Ibrahim. That judgment refused to order INEC to recognise the Interim National Working Committee (INWC) led by Turaki, as put together by a National Executive Committee meeting held after an earlier Supreme Court judgment.
The three-member panel was presided over by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, with Justices Laja Balogun and Ruqayyat Oremei Ayoola. Justice Ayoola read the judgment, which upheld the lower court's decision and dismissed the appeal.
What the faction is saying
The Turaki faction said it accepts the ruling but will not stop there. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the faction said its lawyers have been told to file an appeal at the Supreme Court immediately.
"We have instructed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal before the Supreme Court, in the hope that justice will eventually be done,"
the statement said. The faction also said it believes that truth, however deeply buried, will one day come out if those seeking it keep digging.
Ememobong said the PDP must remain a strong opposition party that offers Nigerians an alternative to the ruling party, and not become an appendage of it. He argued that democracy only survives when the opposition is strong enough to engage the government effectively.
The faction urged its members across the country to stay firm while the case moves to the apex court. It said the outcome could affect the survival of multiparty democracy and future generations.
Why it matters
The PDP is Nigeria's main opposition party, and a prolonged leadership dispute keeps it divided and distracted. For ordinary Nigerians, a weakened opposition means fewer strong voices holding government to account on the issues that affect daily life, from fuel prices to security and jobs.
Until the Supreme Court decides, the party's structure and who INEC deals with as its leadership remain unsettled.
What happens next
The Turaki faction says its lawyers will file the appeal at the Supreme Court shortly. The court will then decide whether to hear the case, and its ruling would be final on the matter.
