The camp of former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party is now facing a leadership vacuum following Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, while expressing optimism that the party’s constitutional structures will move swiftly to stabilise the situation and restore order.
In a statement issued by the camp’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the group argued that the split judgment of the apex court has effectively left the PDP without clearly defined leadership.
According to the statement, the ruling also sustained the Court of Appeal’s suspension of Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and others.
The Supreme Court, in two separate 3–2 majority decisions delivered on Thursday, nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, which produced the Turaki-backed leadership supported by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The apex court held that the convention was conducted in violation of existing court orders that expressly restrained the party from proceeding unless certain legal conditions were met.
In its ruling, the court faulted the PDP for disregarding clear judicial directives by going ahead with the convention despite pending legal restrictions.
According to Turaki’s camp, the majority decision delivered by Justices Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Stephen Adah, and Garba was anchored on the PDP’s failure to obey a valid and subsisting Federal High Court judgment.
The justices held that, being in contempt of court, the appellants could not be granted audience at the Supreme Court, leading to the dismissal of the appeal.
The statement, however, highlighted the dissenting judgments of Justices Haruna Tsammani and Abubakar Umar, who maintained that the matter concerned the internal affairs of the PDP and was therefore beyond judicial intervention.
“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 allowed 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.”
