A Federal High Court in Abuja has barred a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki from accessing the party’s national secretariat, in a ruling that reinforces control by a rival bloc aligned with Nyesom Wike.
The judgment, delivered on Monday by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, followed a suit filed by PDP members loyal to Wike. The court not only restrained the Turaki-led faction from the Wadata Plaza headquarters but also directed security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), to ensure protection for the Wike-backed group to operate from the premises.
In her ruling, Abdulmalik held that the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, which produced the Turaki-led leadership, was conducted in violation of existing court orders.
“All proceedings, resolutions and decisions taken at the said convention, including the suspension of members of the first plaintiff, were unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void, and of no effect,” the judge ruled.
She further criticised the expulsion of Wike and his allies during the convention, describing it as a breach of judicial authority. “I considered the expulsion of the members of the plaintiffs as not only an affront to the subsisting judgement, but also a direct assault on a democratic and principled society,” she said.
The court also cited a violation of Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stressing that the actions of the defendants amounted to disobedience of valid court rulings already affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
Background to the dispute reveals that tensions within the PDP escalated into chaos on November 18, 2025, when supporters of both factions clashed at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja over control of the premises. The suit was subsequently filed by the Wike-aligned faction, seeking to restrain the Turaki group from acting on behalf of the party and from accessing its headquarters.
The plaintiffs also requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) be barred from recognising any address other than the one already on record for the PDP, alongside an injunction preventing the Turaki faction from parading themselves as party representatives.
Addressing claims of bias raised by the defendants, Abdulmalik dismissed the application for her recusal, stating that allegations of partiality must be backed by strong evidence. She noted that there was “no shred of evidence” to support the claim and clarified that granting an ex parte order does not amount to bias.
She also rejected a request to reassign the case, emphasising that it is the prerogative of the Chief Judge to allocate cases, not litigants or their counsel.
“In spite of the judgements which have not been set aside, the 5th to 25th defendants went ahead and organised the convention,” the judge stated, reaffirming that such actions could not stand under the law.
Consequently, the court restrained the Turaki-led faction from entering or using the PDP national secretariat or holding meetings there, while directing security agencies to provide adequate protection for the plaintiffs. It also barred INEC from accepting any alternative address for the party beyond what is officially recognised.
Ademide Adebayo
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