Supreme Court Judgement: Wabara-led BoT takes over leadership of PDP, plans interim NWC

The BoT’ says its decision to take over the party’s leadership is based on the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling upholding the suspension of Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, Umar Bature as national organising secretary, and Kamaldeen Ajibade as national legal adviser

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has taken over the party’s leadership following the Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday.

The BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday while reacting to the court’s ruling.

The Wabara-led board was aligned with Kabiru Turaki-led NWC before the Supreme Court judgement. The faction was elected at the party’s national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State., last November.

Mr Wabara, a former senate president, said the decision was taken in line with the PDP constitution to prevent a leadership vacuum at the national level.

“It is with the utmost sense of duty and responsibility that the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party assumes leadership of our great party today, Thursday, 30th April, 2026, pursuant to the empowering provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017). This constitutional intervention of the BoT is to ensure that there is no leadership vacuum at the national level of our party following the judgement of the Supreme Court,” he said.

In a split 3-2 decision, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court upheld the judgements of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, both of which nullified the Ibadan convention that produced the Turaki’s faction.

Delivering the lead judgment, Stephen Adah held that the convention was conducted in defiance of existing court orders.

Mr Adah and two other justices, Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, and Muhammed Garba ruled that the faction’s actions amounted to contempt of court due to its disregard for a subsisting Federal High Court judgment, and therefore dismissed the appeal.

However, dissenting opinions by Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar argued that the appeals arose from the internal affairs of the PDP and were therefore non-justiciable.

The judgement effectively strengthens the rival faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in the ongoing leadership struggle.

The Wike-backed faction held its own convention in March, electing Abdulrahman Mohammed and others as substantive members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

Shortly after the judgment, Turaki’s faction called on party organs to intervene to prevent the PDP from collapsing.

What the BoT is relying on

Mr Wabara said the BoT’s decision is based on the Supreme Court panel’s unanimous ruling upholding the suspension of Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, Umar Bature as national organising secretary, and Kamaldeen Ajibade as national legal adviser.

The trio are key members of the NWC in the Wike-backed faction chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed.

Mr Wabara explained that the implication is that all actions taken by these officials, including the appointment of an acting chairman during their suspension, are illegal, null, and void.

“While the Supreme Court invalidated the Ibadan Convention, it also, in a unanimous decision of the five Justices on the panel, upheld the suspension of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Hon. Umar Bature, and Kamaldeen Ajibade as National Secretary, National Organising Secretary, and National Legal Adviser, respectively, from the party.

“The implication of today’s judgment by the Supreme Court is that all actions taken by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Hon. Umar Bature, and Barr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, including the appointment of Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman, the composition of the National Caretaker Working Committee, and the conduct and outcome of the March 29th, 2026 Convention in Abuja, are illegal, null, and ab initio void.”

Mr Wabara maintained that the BoT, as the party’s second-highest organ, must now step in to stabilise the PDP.

“Against this backdrop, the BoT hereby immediately assumes responsibility of the national working leadership of the PDP as an immediate constitutional remedial step to foster genuine reconciliation, salvage, stabilise and return the party to good political health,” he added.

Interim NWC

The BoT chairman also announced plans to convene an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to appoint an interim National Working Committee to oversee the party’s affairs ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“In light of the foregoing, an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee, pursuant to the provisions of Section 31 of the Constitution of the PDP, will be summoned to, among other things, appoint an Interim National Working Committee to take charge of the National Secretariat of our party and pilot the affairs of the party at the national level so as to meet all the timelines in the Electoral Act, 2026, and ensure that the PDP fields candidates and also emerges victorious in all elective positions in the 2027 general elections,” he announced.

Mr Wabara also directed PDP staff to resume at the national secretariat in preparation for the interim NWC’s takeover.

He further commended the “courage, effort, and resilience” of Governor Bala Mohammed, Governor Seyi Makinde, the National Assembly caucus, National Ex-Officio members, the Forum of PDP State Chairmen, state chapters, youth and women wings, and other organs of the party for standing firm during the crisis.