The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party met in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Tuesday for an emergency session.
The meeting is being held at the lodge of Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State.
Chaired by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, the gathering was attended by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, alongside Tanimu Turaki and the party’s acting national chairman Umar Damagum.
Other prominent members present include former PDP Deputy National Chairman Bode George, former Information Minister Jerry Gana, and former Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu.
In his opening remarks, Wabara said the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal (Nigeria) offered the party an opportunity to rebuild.
Earlier on Tuesday, the caretaker committee led by Abdulrahman Mohamed addressed journalists, describing the appellate court’s ruling as confirmation that his committee represents the legitimate leadership of the party. He said the group would continue preparations for a national convention scheduled for later this month.
Appeal court ruling
On Monday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a ruling of the Federal High Court of Nigeria that barred the PDP from conducting the national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam dismissed the appeal filed by the PDP, which had challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court ruled that the party violated constitutional provisions governing the conduct of conventions.
It agreed that the PDP failed to give valid notice of the convention to the Independent National Electoral Commission as required by law. The court also noted that party congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states prior to the event, as stipulated by legal guidelines.
According to the appellate court, the issues raised in the case could not be regarded as merely internal party matters.
“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022, and party Constitution and guidelines are at the heart of democratic governance, and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the court held.