Two prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Humphrey Abba and Tajudeen Yusuf, have expressed opposing views following the Court of Appeal Nigeria ruling that nullified the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The disagreement emerged during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld an earlier judgment by the Federal High Court Nigeria, which declared the PDP’s national convention—held between 15 and 16 November 2025 in Ibadan, Oyo State—invalid.
Abba Questions Judgment
Former Minister of Police Affairs Humphrey Abba criticized the ruling of the High Court in Ibadan, describing it as flawed and riddled with irregularities.
According to him, the issues raised in the case did not warrant such a decisive pronouncement by the court.
“The judgment of the high court in Ibadan was written with a lot of irregularities. The matter on appeal is coming out on Wednesday; the issue that was canvassed in Ibadan did not call for a pronouncement,” Abba stated.
Yusuf Defends Court’s Position
In contrast, former lawmaker Tajudeen Yusuf argued that the party leadership had ignored an existing court order when it proceeded with the convention.
He said some party members had earlier warned against holding the convention while legal issues surrounding it were still pending.
Yusuf recalled a similar situation during the party’s convention crisis in Port Harcourt in 2016, where legal challenges disrupted proceedings.
“The intention from day one was to disobey the court order, and some of us saw this and started appealing before the Ibadan convention,” Yusuf said.
Court of Appeal Decision
The ruling was delivered by a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the outcome of the convention.
This includes the emergence of Taminu Turaki as a leader within the party structure.
The court held that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional provisions required to validate such a convention.
The judgment has further deepened internal debates within the party, with some members pushing for further legal action, possibly at the Supreme Court.
