By Peter Omopo
An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has upheld the validity of the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Ibadan in November 2025.
Justice Ladiran Akintola of Court 5 delivered the judgment after dismissing an application for stay of proceedings filed by Nwachukwu and ruling on an application for joinder.
The decision reverses an earlier ruling by the same court which had nullified the convention following a protracted legal dispute over the party’s leadership structure and the legality of the exercise. The previous judgment had barred Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other officials from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Turaki emerged as National Chairman at the convention, which drew delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The gathering was marked by disagreements over zoning arrangements, delays in accreditation and allegations of last-minute manoeuvres by rival factions within the party.
In the fresh judgment, the court granted the 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, through his counsel, Musbau Adetunmbi. The ruling effectively validates the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee that emerged from the convention.
The development comes amid earlier legal challenges surrounding the convention. A Federal High Court in Abuja had previously restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the convention, with Justice James Omotosho ruling that the party failed to comply with relevant legal requirements for conducting such an exercise.
The latest judgment is expected to have significant implications for the internal leadership dispute within the PDP.
