PDP Leadership Crisis Deepens as Wabara-Led Group Heads to Supreme Court After Appeal Loss

The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken another turn after the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Senator Adolphus Wabara and other party leaders seeking recognition of the interim National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN).

The Wabara-led group, comprising members of the party’s Board of Trustees and some founding members, has vowed to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court, insisting that its struggle for justice and the survival of multiparty democracy is not over.

The Special Panel of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, delivered the judgment on Wednesday in appeal number CA/ABJ/CV/1221/2026, filed by Wabara and seven others against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and six other respondents.

The appellants had sought to overturn an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, which declined to order INEC to recognise the interim NWC led by Turaki.

The committee was constituted at a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting convened after the Supreme Court’s judgment on the party’s leadership dispute.

The appeal was heard by a three-member panel comprising Justices Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, Laja Balogun and Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola, who delivered the lead judgment.

However, the appellate court upheld the decision of the Federal High Court and dismissed the appeal, dealing another setback to the group seeking recognition for the Turaki-led interim leadership.

Reacting to the judgment, the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the decision would not end their legal battle, disclosing that their lawyers had been instructed to immediately approach the Supreme Court.

Ememobong, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the group respected the court’s decision but remained determined to pursue what it described as a quest for justice anchored on truth.

He said, “While we respect the judgment of the court, we are determined to take our quest for justice anchored on truth to the apex court in the land.”

The statement added, “It is our belief that no matter how deep the truth is buried, if those seeking it are persistent in digging, it will one day resurface.”

Ememobong said the group remained hopeful that the Supreme Court would eventually resolve the dispute in its favour.

He also linked the prolonged leadership crisis to the broader question of opposition politics in Nigeria, arguing that the PDP must remain independent and capable of providing a credible alternative to the ruling party.

“The Peoples Democratic Party must as an opposition party, offer alternative to the ruling party, and not become an appendage of it. Democracy survives only when the opposition is strong enough to effectively engage the government,” he said.

The publicity secretary urged party members not to lose hope despite the latest court decision, calling on them to remain united and resolute as the dispute moves to the Supreme Court.

He expressed confidence that the legal battle would eventually produce a favourable outcome, adding that the experience could provide an important lesson for future generations on the importance of sustaining multiparty democracy.

“We trust that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that when this victory is finally won, the pains we are passing through will make a good story for the survival of multiparty democracy and the next generation,” he added.

The latest ruling represents another development in the prolonged leadership dispute within the PDP, which has continued to generate legal battles and uncertainty over the party’s national leadership.

The planned appeal to the Supreme Court means the struggle over the recognition of the Turaki-led interim committee is set to continue, with the apex court now expected to provide a further judicial determination if the appeal is entertained.