…affirms suspension of Ajibade
By Sanni Abdullahi
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party took another dramatic turn Tuesday as the Court of Appeal set aside the Federal High Court judgment in Ibadan that recognized the party’s controversial Caretaker Committee. The Appellate in its judgement declared that the issue before it had become “academic” following the Supreme Court’s earlier nullification of the national convention.
In a press statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Comrade Ini Ememobong, and made available to journalists on June 3, 2026, the PDP said its legal team briefed the leadership after the appellate court delivered its decision earlier in the day.
“Our lawyers have informed us that earlier today, the Court of Appeal held that there were no longer any live issues in the appeal since the main issue relates to the national convention, which the Supreme Court has nullified,” the statement read.
The development effectively cancels the basis upon which the Independent National Electoral Commission had been dealing with the Caretaker Committee led by loyalists of suspended party chieftains.
Court faults lower court’s pronouncement on Caretaker Committee
Beyond declaring the appeal moot, the Court of Appeal went further to criticize the Federal High Court, Ibadan for making pronouncements on the legality of the Caretaker Committee when, according to the appellate court, that was not part of the case before it.
“The court also held, inter alia, that the part of the judgment recognizing the Caretaker Committee was not an issue before the court and therefore ought not to have been made in the first place,” the PDP statement disclosed.
The party said the appellate court acknowledged that the proper course of action would have been for the lower court to order a retrial. However, it noted that given the Supreme Court had already nullified the national convention that gave rise to the dispute, a retrial would serve no practical purpose.
“On this score, the court said that the right decision would have been to order a retrial, but in the circumstance where the main issue has become academic, a retrial will serve no useful purpose,” the statement added.
Legal observers say the ruling reinforces the principle that courts must confine themselves to issues properly placed before them, and cannot grant reliefs not sought by the parties.
Suspension of Ajibade, Anyanwu affirmed
In another key aspect of the judgment, the Court of Appeal upheld the suspension of A.K. Ajibade from the party. The PDP said the court extended the effect of that suspension to include former National Secretary Sam Anyanwu and other associates, stripping them of any authority to act for the opposition party.
“Furthermore, the Court also affirmed the suspension of A.K. Ajibade (and by extension Sam Anyanwu and co.) and held that he had no power to act on behalf of the Party,” Ememobong stated.
The suspension of Ajibade and Anyanwu has been one of the flashpoints in the PDP crisis, with both factions claiming legitimacy over party structures and correspondences with INEC and other stakeholders. Tuesday’s ruling appears to settle, at least for now, the question of who can legally speak for the PDP.
…INEC urged to act on new directive
With the Federal High Court judgment now invalidated, the PDP Interim National Working Committee is demanding immediate compliance from INEC. The electoral body had relied on the Ibadan court’s decision to recognize and correspond with the Caretaker Committee in recent months.
“This judgment of the Court of Appeal nullifies the judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan. The Independent National Electoral Commission, which used the FHC judgment as its basis for recognising the illegal Caretaker Committee, is expected to immediately derecognise them and now recognize the duly constituted Interim National Working Committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN,” the statement said.
Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, a former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, currently heads the Interim NWC that the party says was properly constituted after the Supreme Court nullified the disputed convention.
Party insiders believe INEC’s response in the coming days will determine how quickly the PDP can resolve internal disarray ahead of upcoming off-cycle elections and preparations for 2027. The electoral commission has not issued an official reaction as of press time.
The PDP crisis has dragged on for months, with court battles at federal and state levels deepening divisions between rival camps. Stakeholders within the party have repeatedly called for internal reconciliation, but legal pronouncements like Tuesday’s have often reshaped the balance of power between the factions.
For now, the Interim NWC says it will continue to “run the affairs of the party in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, and the PDP Constitution,” pending further reconciliation efforts.
