…Directs staff to resume at National Secretariat
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that it has taken over the leadership of the party, citing constitutional provisions following a split judgment by the Supreme Court.
In a statement issued shortly after the court ruling on Thursday, the BoT said the party’s Constitution empowers the board to take such action to prevent a leadership vacuum at the national level. The board also called for an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and directed all PDP staff to resume at the National Secretariat under the BoT’s leadership, pending the appointment of an Interim National Working Committee.
The statement, signed by BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, explained that the constitutional intervention became necessary following the Supreme Court’s judgment.
According to the BoT, the Supreme Court delivered an adverse ruling against the party, invalidating the National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, from November 15 to 16, 2025, which produced the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee.
The board noted that while the Supreme Court invalidated the Ibadan Convention, it also upheld, in a unanimous decision by the five-justice panel, the suspension of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Hon. Umar Bature, and Kamaldeen Ajibade as National Secretary, National Organising Secretary, and National Legal Adviser, respectively.
“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 void ab initio,” the statement read.
The BoT further stated that the consequential invalidation of both the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led and the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led working committees directly places the statutory responsibility of leadership on the Board of Trustees as the second highest organ of the party, pursuant to Section 32(5) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
“Against this backdrop, the BoT hereby immediately assumes responsibility of the national working leadership of the PDP as immediate constitutional remedial steps to foster genuine reconciliation, salvage, stabilise and return the party to good political health,” the board said.
The BoT announced that an emergency NEC meeting would be summoned under Section 31 of the party’s Constitution to, among other things, appoint an Interim National Working Committee to take charge of the National Secretariat and pilot the party’s affairs at the national level. This, according to the board, would ensure compliance with the timeline in the Electoral Act, 2026, and enable the PDP to field candidates and win elective positions in the 2027 general elections.
All PDP staff have been directed to resume at the National Secretariat under the BoT’s leadership ahead of the appointment of the interim committee.
The BoT commended the party’s governors, particularly Governor Bala Mohammed and Governor Seyi Makinde, the National Assembly caucus, state chapters, and other organs for their resilience. It called on all leaders and members to set aside personal and group interests and unite in the interest of the party and democracy.
“The PDP has suffered enough; the painful victims of this unfortunate episode is the Nigerian people. The time has therefore come for us to make sacrifices, sheathe our swords and embrace genuine reconciliations for lasting peace and chart a new course for our party,” the statement concluded.
