A major internal battle has erupted within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the faction loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force, seeking to nullify the national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16. The suit, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, marks the latest escalation in the party’s deepening leadership crisis.
In the legal action, the plaintiffs — the Wike-aligned faction of the PDP, acting National Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu — are asking the court to declare the Ibadan convention and all decisions emanating from it as “null, void and of no effect.” They argue that the gathering violated three subsisting court judgments, which they say expressly prohibited the party from holding any national convention at the time.
The Ibadan convention had resulted in the expulsion of several prominent party figures associated with Wike, including Samuel Anyanwu, Ayo Fayose, and eight others. It also produced a new leadership structure led by Umar Damagum as National Chairman and Kabiru Turaki in a top leadership role. The Wike camp is now asking the court to issue an order restraining INEC and security agencies from recognising Damagum and others as legitimate PDP officials.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs are seeking a directive compelling security agencies to provide them access to Wadata Plaza and Legacy House, the party’s official offices in Abuja, asserting that these facilities have been “illegally taken over” following the convention. They also want the court to bar INEC from approving any change of official address for the PDP beyond the two existing Abuja locations.
In a separate but related development, the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP faction has petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, raising alarm over the assignment of PDP-related cases to what it described as “Courts of Particular Concern.” In a letter dated November 19, 2025, signed by National Secretary Teofeek Arapaja, the faction expressed worries about three judges — Justice James Omotosho, Justice Peter Odo Lifu, and Justice Abdulmalik — alleging that their handling of recent rulings suggests bias or coordinated interference.
Justices Omotosho and Lifu had earlier issued judgments restraining the party from going ahead with the Ibadan convention, while Justice Abdulmalik is currently presiding over a separate suit involving the PDP and INEC. The Turaki faction says these developments raise significant questions about fairness in the adjudication of the party’s internal disputes.
