A Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment regarding the leadership struggle within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has provided clarity on the legal defeat suffered by the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The document reveals that the apex court unanimously dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Wike-led group, alongside the main appeal brought by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction.
Justice Stephen Adah, in the CTC released shortly after the verdict, held: “The Cross-Appeal is in the circumstance of the Main Appeal, dismissed. Cross-Appeal Dismissed.”
The legal battle stems from two separate conventions held last year. Following the March 9 judgment of the Court of Appeal which nullified the Ibadan convention, the Turaki leadership had approached the apex court.
However, the appellate court had earlier ruled that the suspension of Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, stripped him of his authority.
“By leave of this Court, the appellant placed before the Court as fresh evidence the Notice evidencing the suspension of A.K. Ajibade, SAN as National Legal Adviser of the appellant on November 1, 2025,” the appellate court had noted.
It further held: “The legal effect of that fresh evidence is that, as at December 10, 2025 when Appeal No. CA/ABJ/1728/2025 was purportedly filed by A.K. Ajibade, SAN, he had ceased to hold the office of National Legal Adviser of the appellant. An agent whose authority has been lawfully terminated cannot bind the principal. Accordingly, any process filed in the name of the appellant by a person who had ceased to possess the authority to act on its behalf is incompetent.”
Read Also: Natasha Dumps PDP For NDC
Regarding the suspension and recommended expulsion of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the High Court of the FCT had previously dismissed his challenge.
The judge held that “a careful examination of the Originating Summons, the affidavit in support thereof and the documentary exhibits relied upon by the plaintiff shows that the plaintiff failed to establish any basis upon which this Court can interfere with the disciplinary proceedings of the 2nd defendant.”
The court further noted: “The evidence before the court discloses that the plaintiff was duly invited to appear before the National Disciplinary Committee of the 2nd defendant but failed to take advantage of the opportunities afforded him. It is settled in law that a party who deliberately refuses or neglects to utilise an opportunity to be heard cannot subsequently complain of denial of fair hearing.
Furthermore, the plaintiff did not demonstrate that the National Disciplinary Committee acted outside the powers conferred on it by the Constitution of the 2nd defendant nor did he show that the procedures adopted were fundamentally defective or in breach of natural justice. Courts do not act as appellate bodies over the internal disciplinary mechanism of voluntary associations, once the procedure adopted substantially complies with the rules governing such bodies. The plaintiff, having alleged illegality, bias and unconstitutionally failed to place sufficient material before this court to justify the extraordinary intervention of the Court in the internal affairs of the 2nd defendant.”
Anyanwu has since appealed this, with his lawyer, K. C. O. Njemanze, SAN, arguing that “the plaintiff’s failure to exhaust the internal remedies provided by the PDP constitution rendered his suit premature and incompetent, and the jurisdiction of this court is thereby ousted.”
He also argued that it was an error to hold that the “claimant invites the court to determine the propriety of acts undertaken by an organ of a political party pursuant to its constitution. This court cannot do that.”
The appeal seeks for the court “to enter judgment in favour of the appellant.”
Read Also: El-Rufai Dumps APC For ADC
In the lead majority judgment at the Supreme Court, Justice Adah slammed the appellants for disobeying court orders, stating: “When a party refuses to obey the orders of a court, he must not be heard by the court.”
He added: “Accordingly, any litigant who engages in abuse of court process does so at his peril. The court must, in clear and unmistakable terms, condemn such conduct and take decisive steps to preserve the integrity of the judicial system. Abuse of court process is not a mere irregularity; it is a fundamental defect that robs the proceedings of legitimacy and renders them liable to summary termination. The appellant abused the process of the court to conduct the party Convention. The Party Convention of the appellant conducted on November 15 and 26, 2025, in defiance of the subsisting order of the Federal High Court in its judgement delivered on November 14, 2025, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/20285, is null, void and of no effect and consequence. It is accordingly nullified. Having resolved the only issue raised against the appellant, the appeal is lacking in merit. The appeal is accordingly dismissed. Parties are to bear their respective costs. Appeal dismissed. The Cross-Appeal is in the circumstance of the decision in the main appeal, dismissed.”
In response, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Mohammed Jungudo, claimed the document was not official, stating ”The pages were neither duly certified, stamped, nor signed by any authorised court officer in accordance with legally recognised procedures.”
He further remarked: ”Assuming without conceding that the said CTC was officially released by the Supreme Court, we make bold to state that the contents of the judgement further affirm the defeat suffered by Kabiru Turaki and others from the Federal High Court up to the Supreme Court.
The contents of the purported Certified True Copy have conclusively exposed the falsehoods and deliberate misinformation circulated by certain individuals regarding the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Contrary to the misleading narratives being promoted in some sections of the media and political space, the Supreme Court did not suspend Senator Samuel Anyanwu or any member of the party leadership.
The apex court also did not direct the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) to assume control of the party, neither did it declare any vacuum within the party structure. We challenge anyone to point to any portion of the judgement where such pronouncements were made. The judgement was explicit, clear, and unambiguous.
It is therefore disappointing that despite the circulation of the said CTC, some individuals have continued to deliberately distort its contents in pursuit of narrow political interests and personal relevance. Those who hurriedly misinterpreted the judgement and misled the public should, by now, acknowledge that their claims were unfounded.
Nigerians have now seen the contents of the judgement and can clearly distinguish facts from propaganda. What certain individuals continue to promote in the media space is merely the minority opinion contained in the judgment, which upheld the appeal. However, the majority decision of the Supreme Court remains the binding and authoritative judgment of the court.”
