Wike's PDP faction urges NBA to sanction lawyers over distorted court ruling
A PDP faction backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike is calling for sanctions against lawyers misrepresenting a Court of Appeal ruling on the party's leadership dispute. The faction, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and recognized by INEC, accused rival lawyers of deliberately distorting the court's decision in an attempt to mislead the public.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal by the Kabiru Turaki faction seeking recognition as authentic PDP leadership. The three-member panel led by Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that the issue of the November 2025 national convention had already been settled by the Supreme Court, which nullified the convention and called the matter "academic" since events had overtaken the dispute.
The Turaki faction claims the ruling affirmed the suspension of the Mohammed-led National Working Committee and nullified a Federal High Court judgment that had declared the 2025 convention invalid. Responding, the Abdulrahman faction's spokesperson Jungudo Mohammed called this "contempt of court" and urged the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee and Nigerian Bar Association to investigate and sanction lawyers found culpable of deliberately misrepresenting court judgments.
The court's decision effectively settles the leadership dispute, with higher courts having already determined the matter. This pattern of legal battles over party interpretation is common in Nigerian politics, with factions using judicial pronouncements to advance their claims regardless of actual legal standing.
Will this call for sanctions escalate the intra-party conflict, or will it force both factions to respect the court's final determination?