The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is once again in the middle of a heated leadership dispute following the Supreme Court’s decision that nullified its November 2025 Ibadan National Convention.
Shortly after the judgment, former Senate President and ex–BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, declared that the party’s Board of Trustees had stepped in to assume leadership in line with the PDP constitution, insisting the move was necessary to prevent a leadership vacuum.
But the party has strongly pushed back.
In a statement on Friday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Mohammed Jagunda, dismissed Wabara’s position as unauthorized and misleading. He maintained that the Supreme Court did not pronounce on suspensions or leadership changes within the party, but only invalidated the disputed Ibadan convention.
According to him, “there has never been any vacuum in the leadership of the PDP,” stressing that the current structure remains intact under the National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
Jagunda also accused a faction within the party of deliberately twisting the court ruling to create confusion and destabilize the PDP ahead of future elections.
“The judgment is clear and speaks only to the illegality of the convention,” he said, adding that issues of suspension or expulsion were never before the courts.
Meanwhile, the BoT Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, urged calm within the party, saying efforts were underway to strengthen unity and reconciliation. He disclosed plans to set up a National Reconciliation Committee to reach out to aggrieved members across the country.
Adding her voice, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan also called for restraint, warning party members against misinformation and overreactions. She emphasized that the Supreme Court ruling was limited strictly to the convention issue and did not resolve wider leadership questions.
As interpretations of the judgment continue to divide opinions within the PDP, the party now finds itself juggling legal clarity, internal politics, and growing pressure to maintain cohesion ahead of the 2026 convention and the 2027 general elections.
