The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally declined a request to recognize the national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki, citing subsisting court judgements restraining it from doing so.
In a letter dated December 22, 2025, signed by its Secretary, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and addressed to Akintayo Balogun and Co., legal representatives of the PDP, the commission said it could not publish or update on its website the list of national officers purportedly elected at the party’s National Convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.
INEC explained that it was legally bound to obey final judgments of courts of competent jurisdiction, which expressly barred it from recognizing or giving effect to the outcome of the convention. The commission noted that the request followed a series of letters from different PDP legal representatives, including Taiwo Abe and Co. on November 14, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN and Co. on November 19, and Akintayo Balogun and Co. on November 21, all demanding recognition of the officers allegedly elected at the convention.
The Turaki-led NWC enjoys the backing of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed. With their support, the PDP held a national convention in November in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, which produced a new set of national officers.
The convention, however, was preceded by conflicting court rulings. While some Federal High Courts in Abuja issued orders halting the exercise over alleged breaches of the party’s constitution and electoral laws, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan cleared the PDP to proceed and directed INEC to monitor the event.
Opponents of the convention, led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, later formed a parallel NWC, Board of Trustees, and National Executive Committee. The Makinde-backed faction subsequently asked INEC to recognize Turaki as the party’s authentic national chairman.
INEC said it carefully reviewed the request against existing facts, relevant laws, and subsisting court judgements, noting that two final judgements of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, were central to its decision. These are the Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025—Austine Nwachukwu & two others v. INEC & eight others, delivered on October 31, 2025, and Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2299/2025—Alhaji Sule Lamido v. PDP & four others, delivered on November 14, 2025.
According to the commission, both judgments expressly restrained INEC from supervising, monitoring, recognizing, or giving effect “in any manner whatsoever” to the outcome of the PDP National Convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, or any other date, pending full compliance with the court’s orders.
INEC added that although notices of appeal had been filed against the judgments, settled law provides that an appeal does not operate as a stay of execution. It stressed that until the judgments are set aside or stayed by a competent court, it remains bound to obey them in line with Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The commission also addressed an interim order issued by the Oyo State High Court in Suit No. 1/1336/2025—Folahan Malomo Adelabi v. PDP & others, noting that INEC had been struck out of the suit for want of jurisdiction and that, in any case, an interim order could not override subsisting final judgements of a court of coordinate or superior jurisdiction.
INEC further disclosed that the PDP had instituted another suit, Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/121/2025—PDP v. INEC, seeking an order compelling the commission to recognize the NWC and National Executive Committee members elected at the Ibadan convention. It said the existence of the pending suit and appeals made the request for recognition prejudicial.
“In the light of the above pending suits, your request is prejudicial and cannot be acceded to until the determination of the pending appeals,” the commission stated.
INEC stressed that in obedience to the rule of law and subsisting court orders, it was unable to recognize or update the list of national officers said to have emerged from the PDP National Convention of November 15 and 16, 2025, adding that this position had already been communicated to PDP representatives at a meeting held on December 19, 2025.
