A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki has said the party will still take part in the 2027 general election despite the leadership crisis affecting it.
Ini Ememobong, spokesperson of the Turaki faction, spoke on Tuesday after an expanded meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT). The meeting also included PDP governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), state chairmen and other key stakeholders.
According to Ememobong, the gathering reviewed the effect of a recent Court of Appeal ruling and discussed ways to ensure the party remains eligible to contest in the next general election.
“Despite the underlying issues, the spirit in the room was clear — PDP must not die. Nigerians still look up to the PDP as a stable platform to contest elections, especially with the tight timelines outlined by INEC,” Ememobong said.
He added that discussions during the meeting focused on ensuring the survival of the party and its presence on the ballot.
“The guiding philosophy of the discussions was that PDP will be saved and will remain a political party that will be on the ballot.”
Ememobong said participants proposed a number of legal, political and strategic measures aimed at protecting the future of the party.
“Several ideas, legal, social, political and even emotional, were proposed on how to ensure two things: that PDP does not die and that PDP will be on the ballot,” he said.
He noted that further deliberations would continue on Wednesday, expressing optimism that clearer plans would emerge after more consultations.
The PDP has been facing a leadership dispute that has split the party into two factions.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, which produced Turaki as national chairman.
The appellate court affirmed an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court that had barred the party from conducting the convention.
The three-member panel of the appeal court dismissed a challenge by the Turaki faction, which had questioned the jurisdiction of the Abuja Federal High Court over the matter.
Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who delivered the lead judgement, said the faction failed to give the electoral body a valid notice of the convention as required by law.
Onyemenam also held that the issue raised before the high court could not be treated as the internal affairs of the party. He said the lower court was right to assume jurisdiction and to stop the electoral body from recognising the outcome of the convention.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who supports the faction led by Abdulrahman Muhammed, welcomed the ruling on Tuesday and described it as a chance to rebuild the party.
