By Seyi Odewale and Ben Adoga
The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sank deeper into crisis on Monday as two major developments further exposed the widening cracks within its ranks — the defection of Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a Court of Appeal judgment nullifying the party’s controversial Ibadan national convention.
Lawal’s defection raises the number of governors on the platform of the APC to 31, further consolidating the ruling party’s political strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development also came on the same day the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the PDP’s disputed national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.
The convention had produced a factional National Working Committee (NWC) led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN).
Confirming the Zamfara governor’s defection in a statement on Monday, his media aide, Nuhu Anka, said the decision followed extensive consultations with political leaders, elders and supporters across the state.
“The Government and PDP family of Zamfara State wish to formally inform the general public of an important political development following extensive consultations with stakeholders, political leaders, elders and supporters across the state,” the statement said.
“After careful consideration and in the overriding interest of stability, progress, and the sustainable development of Zamfara State, Governor Dauda Lawal has decided to formally defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.”
According to Anka, the governor’s decision was influenced largely by the lingering internal crisis and leadership disputes within the PDP at both the national and state levels.
“These challenges have continued to create uncertainty and distractions that could hinder effective governance and the delivery of democratic dividends to the people of Zamfara State,” he said.
The governor also cited the need for stronger collaboration with the Federal Government, particularly to tackle the security challenges confronting Zamfara and the wider North-West region.
“It has become necessary to align with a political platform that provides greater unity, stability and stronger cooperation with the Federal Government for the benefit of the people,” Anka added.
He disclosed that the final consultations leading to the decision were held at the Government House in Gusau with the Deputy Governor, senior government officials and key political stakeholders in attendance.
Lawal, who was elected governor in 2023 on the PDP platform, is among those expected to seek re-election in the 2027 polls.
Political observers believe his defection could further weaken the PDP and deepen the party’s internal divisions.
*Appeal Court nullifies Ibadan convention
Meanwhile, in a major judicial setback for one faction of the opposition party, the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday upheld the Federal High Court ruling restraining INEC from recognising the outcome of the PDP’s 2025 national convention in Ibadan.
The appellate court dismissed the appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction and affirmed the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court on October 31, 2025.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the three-member panel held that the PDP failed to comply with constitutional and statutory provisions required before a valid national convention could be conducted.
The court ruled that the party did not serve the mandatory notice of the convention on INEC as required by law.
Also, it failed to conduct valid congresses in several states before convening the national gathering.
“Non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and the party constitution and guidelines strikes at the heart of democratic governance, and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy,” the appellate court ruled.
The court further held that the matter could not be dismissed as a purely internal affair of the party because it involved INEC’s statutory responsibility to monitor political party conventions.
The appellate court also awarded N2 million in costs against the appellants, finding the appeal to be without merit.
The case was originally instituted by three PDP members — Austin Nwachukwu, Imo State PDP chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, Abia PDP chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, the party’s South-South secretary.
They had challenged the legality of the convention and the emergence of a new National Working Committee.
*Drop your ego, unite to save PDP, Wike urges aggrieved leaders
Reacting to the judgment, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, described the ruling as a victory for the rule of law and urged party leaders to abandon personal ambitions to rescue the PDP from collapse.
Speaking in Abuja shortly after the judgment, Wike called on aggrieved factions to embrace reconciliation.
“For me, it is an opportunity for everybody today to come back and see how we can salvage the party,” Wike said.
“Leave your ego. Leave your personal interest. Come back. Let us sit down and see how we can forge ahead.”
He warned that prolonged legal battles could further damage the party, particularly as political parties begin preparations for primaries ahead of the next electoral cycle.
“By the time you go to the Supreme Court, you are merely causing harm to your party, which you say you love. It is time now to say we have fought, let us drop our personal interest and make sure that PDP becomes the number one opposition party again,” he said.
Wike also maintained that the ruling confirmed that the Ibadan convention had no legal standing.
“It is very clear that there was no convention, and the tenure of the officers produced there had expired, and you cannot allow a vacuum,” he said.
According to him, the PDP’s National Caretaker Committee remains the lawful body currently managing the party’s affairs pending the conduct of a fresh convention.
He disclosed that arrangements had been concluded for a new national convention scheduled for March 29 and 30 at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
*Turaki faction heads to Supreme Court
Despite the setback at the Court of Appeal, the Turaki-led faction insisted that the dispute was far from over and indicated plans to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court.
National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ini Ememobong, said the group respected the court but would exhaust all available legal options to defend the outcome of the Ibadan convention.
“We have taken note of the judgment of the Court of Appeal and our legal team is already studying the decision,” he said.
“As a law-abiding political organisation, we will explore all available legal avenues, including approaching the Supreme Court, to ensure that justice is served.”
Ememobong also said the faction remained open to reconciliation with other stakeholders in the party but insisted that any settlement must be guided by principles that would strengthen the PDP.
“We are willing to embrace reconciliation, but any settlement must be based on clear principles that will strengthen the party and deepen internal democracy,” he said.
