RismadarVoice Reporters
June 5, 2026
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned key aspects of a Federal High Court judgment that recognised a factional caretaker committee within the Peoples Democratic Party, holding that the trial court granted reliefs that were never requested by any party in the case.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the appellate court faulted Justice Uche Ogomoh for going beyond the issues presented before the court when she recognised a caretaker committee led by Abdurahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu as the legitimate PDP leadership.
According to the Appeal Court, none of the parties involved in the dispute had sought such a declaration, making the trial court’s action improper.
The appellate court noted that the leadership dispute was linked to the PDP’s Ibadan convention, which had already been nullified by the Supreme Court. Consequently, any structures or organs created from that convention could not have a valid legal foundation.
Justice Onyemenam held that since the Supreme Court had already settled the core issues surrounding the convention, there was no longer any live controversy requiring further adjudication.
The court stated that ordering a retrial would serve no practical legal purpose and could amount to revisiting issues already conclusively determined by the apex court.
The judgment, which was supported by Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Okon Abang, effectively nullified the legal basis upon which the Federal High Court recognised the caretaker committee associated with the Abdurahman Mohammed faction.
The ruling is another significant development in the ongoing leadership tussles within the PDP and reinforces the binding effect of previous appellate and Supreme Court decisions on party affairs.
