The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has welcomed the judgment of the Court of Appeal which nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025.
The appellate court ruled that the party acted wrongly by proceeding with the convention despite a subsisting court order directing it to comply with conditions earlier set by the Federal High Court.
Reacting to the ruling in Abuja, Wike described the judgment as a victory for the rule of law and urged members of the party to drop personal interests and work towards reconciliation.
He warned that pursuing further litigation at the Supreme Court of Nigeria could harm the party, especially with political party primaries scheduled for April and May.
According to him, taking the matter to the apex court would only prolong the crisis within the party.
“By the time you go to the Supreme Court, you are merely causing harm to your party which you say you love,” Wike said.
The former governor of Rivers State called on aggrieved members of the PDP to see the judgment as an opportunity to reconcile and rebuild the party.
He urged party leaders and members to set aside personal ambitions and focus on repositioning the PDP as a strong opposition party.
“It is time now to say we have fought; let us drop our personal interest and make sure PDP becomes the number one opposition party,” he added.
Wike further noted that the court’s dismissal of several appeals with significant cost implications highlighted the need for political parties to strictly comply with statutory provisions, the Electoral Act and their constitutions.
He said breaches of these laws meant that the issues could no longer be treated as internal party matters, making judicial intervention inevitable.
The minister stated that the judgment nullified the Ibadan convention and confirmed that the tenure of the party’s previous officers had expired.
According to him, the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Caretaker Committee remains the legally recognised body managing the affairs of the PDP to avoid a leadership vacuum.
Wike also disclosed that preparations were underway for a fresh national convention scheduled to take place on March 29 and 30 in Abuja
