Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the faction of former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently facing a leadership vacuum.

Despite this, the group expressed optimism that the party’s constitutional bodies will act quickly to resolve the crisis and rebuild the leadership structure.

In a statement released on Thursday, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, claimed that the split decision also affirmed the suspension of high-ranking members, including Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

The crisis stems from a narrow 3–2 ruling by the Supreme Court which nullified the Ibadan national convention held on November 15 and 16.

That convention had established the Turaki-led leadership with the support of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

However, the majority of the justices ruled that the event was illegal because it was conducted in defiance of standing court orders.

Read Also: Supreme Court Voids PDP Ibadan Convention

The apex court was critical of the PDP’s decision to move forward with the convention, noting that the party ignored clear judicial directives that set specific conditions for the exercise.

According to the Turaki camp, Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba anchored their judgment on the party’s failure to respect a valid Federal High Court ruling.

The camp noted that the justices held that, because the appellants were in contempt of court, their appeal could not be entertained, ultimately leading to its dismissal.

The statement partly read, “However, the minority judgments by Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar held that the two appeals emanate from matters which are internal affairs of the PDP and are, therefore, non-justiciable. The case at the FHC was not challenging any act or decision of any federal government agency but the leadership contest of the party, and is therefore not justiciable.

“Furthermore, they held that it is not the duty of the court to fish out matters to execute the case for the respondent, because the majority judgment undertook the duty of raising matters suo motu without calling on the parties to address them. This is against the position of the apex court, wherein parties must be given the opportunity to address the court on matters raised suo motu.

“With this split judgment, which also upheld the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Ajibade, SAN, Anyanwu, and others, this effectively leaves the PDP as a party without a defined leadership.

“To this end, we are certain that the existing organs of the party will take the necessary steps to salvage the party and confer leadership on it going forward. This leads the vehicle of our party towards a dangerous bend, which, if not carefully navigated, may not only affect the party but also multi-party democracy in our country.”