The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party under the faction backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Wednesday. It upheld the Federal High Court’s dismissal of a suit brought by the Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and other founding members.
The PDP has been in leadership crisis since the 2022 presidential primary. Wike lost to Atiku Abubakar, refused to support him in 2023, and later joined the APC government as FCT Minister. The party split into factions. One is led by Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary. The other, led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, claims to be an interim national working committee. Courts have issued conflicting rulings. The Supreme Court has been drawn in before.
The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1221/2026, was filed by Wabara and seven others against INEC and six others. The appellants sought to set aside the Federal High Court judgment and compel INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim committee. They claimed it emerged from a National Executive Committee meeting convened after a Supreme Court judgment. The panel, presided over by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu with Justices Laja Balogun and Ruqayyat O. Ayoola, dismissed the appeal.
The Mohammed faction hailed the ruling. Its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, called it a victory for the rule of law and the party’s constitution. He said it affirmed the legitimacy of the National Working Committee led by Mohammed and Anyanwu. He urged members to respect the decision and rebuild the party.
The Wabara-led Board of Trustees and the Turaki-led committee will not accept it. Their National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said they respected the judgment but had instructed lawyers to file an appeal at the Supreme Court. He argued that the PDP, as an opposition party, must provide a credible alternative rather than become an appendage of the ruling party. The struggle, he said, had wider implications for multiparty democracy.
Winners: The Wike-backed faction, which gains judicial affirmation. The APC, which benefits from a weakened PDP. INEC, which has a clearer recognition position. Losers: The Wabara and Turaki factions, which lost at the appellate court. The PDP, whose crisis continues. Opposition unity, which suffers. Voters, who face a fragmented alternative.
Bottom Line: The Appeal Court has spoken. The Supreme Court will speak next. The PDP remains divided. Until the leadership question is settled, the party cannot campaign as a united opposition.