Appeal Court Voids PDP Caretaker Committee Recognition

The Court of Appeal has nullified key parts of a Federal High Court ruling that recognised a factional caretaker committee within the PDP, dealing another legal setback in the party’s long-running leadership crisis.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appellate court held that the Federal High Court in Ibadan exceeded its powers when it recognised a caretaker committee led by Abdurahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu. According to the court, none of the parties involved in the suit had requested such a declaration, making the decision improper.

The dispute originated from the PDP leadership crisis, which has generated multiple court cases and conflicting claims over the party’s structure. The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Uche Agomoh, had earlier ruled in January that the committee headed by Mohammed and Anyanwu represented the legitimate leadership faction of the party.

However, the Appeal Court concluded that the trial court went beyond the issues brought before it. The appellate court stated that courts are expected to decide only on matters raised by parties and should not grant remedies that were never sought.

The court also found that the foundation of the Federal High Court’s decision had already been removed by an earlier ruling of the Supreme Court. The apex court had invalidated the PDP convention held in Ibadan in November 2025. Since the convention was declared void, the Appeal Court held that any committee, structure, or leadership body linked to that gathering could no longer stand legally.

The appellate court explained that once the convention lost legal validity, every arrangement created through it automatically lost its legal backing. As a result, the recognition granted to the caretaker committee could not remain in force.

The court noted that under different circumstances, it might have considered sending some aspects of the dispute back for a fresh hearing. However, it ruled that doing so would serve no practical purpose because the central issues had already been settled by previous decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

Justice Onyemenam further held that reopening issues already decided by higher courts would amount to revisiting matters that have been conclusively determined under the law. The court therefore found no reason for further proceedings on those questions.

The decision received the support of the other members of the three-man panel, Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Okon Abang, making it a unanimous judgment.
With the ruling, the legal basis upon which the Federal High Court recognised the caretaker committee linked to the Abdurahman Mohammed faction has been removed.

The judgment is expected to influence the ongoing struggle for control and leadership within the PDP as different groups continue to battle for legitimacy ahead of future political activities.