A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has urged leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party to end ongoing litigations over the party’s disputed national convention and focus on organising a fresh one that complies with electoral guidelines.
Saraki made the appeal on Tuesday in a statement on Facebook signed by Head, Bukola Saraki Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, while reacting to the judgement of the Court of Appeal which upheld earlier rulings invalidating the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025.
The former Kwara State governor said the party must accept the verdict and move quickly to hold a new national convention in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“My own position is that the Court of Appeal has ruled. However, with the revised timetable by INEC, it is obvious that there is no time to wait for the Supreme Court decision,” Saraki said.
He warned that continued litigation could jeopardise the chances of party members seeking to contest elections on the PDP platform in the 2027 general elections.
“If our motive is to see that we do not jeopardise the chances of our numerous members who want to contest elections on our platform, then this consideration should be the priority of all of us in the party,” he added.
Saraki said political parties exist to provide platforms for candidates seeking elective offices and should not allow internal disputes to undermine that purpose.
“One of the key essentials of a political party is to provide a platform for candidates seeking to serve the people by contesting elections. We should not defeat this purpose,” he said.
He also called on aggrieved leaders within the party to put aside personal interests and prioritise the collective future of the PDP.
“At this stage, egos have been bruised. However, leaders should rise above personal interests and serve the larger common good,” he said.
Saraki further stressed the need for dialogue and compromise among party stakeholders to organise an all-inclusive national convention that would produce a widely accepted leadership.
“The only viable option open to all of us is to sit down, discuss, and work towards holding an all-inclusive national convention at a time that will comply with INEC guidelines,” he said.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the decisions of the Federal High Court invalidating the PDP national convention held in Ibadan between November 15 and 16, 2025.
In its judgement, the appellate court barred INEC from recognising the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of Taminu Turaki as the party’s national chairman.
Apart from electing a new National Working Committee, the convention had also suspended some allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over alleged anti-party activities.
Those suspended included the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and the National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature.
The dispute stemmed from multiple court cases filed by aggrieved party members who argued that the convention violated provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution.
Delivering the lead judgement, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that the party failed to comply with constitutional requirements before conducting the convention.
The court noted that no valid notice of the convention was served on INEC as required by law and that valid congresses were not held in more than 14 states before the convention was conducted.
The panel also dismissed appeals filed by Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee, affirming that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the case.
The court further awarded N2m in costs against the appellants.
The judgement marked the first appellate ruling on the controversial convention after months of conflicting decisions from courts in Abuja and Ibadan.
