Wike-backed PDP faction may face impending defeat at the Supreme Court as Apex Court exposes registry anomaly in leadership crisis appeal.
In a dramatic twist during proceedings at the Supreme Court of Nigeria today, the Wike-backed PDP National Working Committee (NWC) suffered a significant procedural setback as a five-man panel of Justices uncovered and condemned an unusual practice by the Supreme Court Registry involving separate cross-appeal numbers.
The development, which legal observers described as unprecedented in the history of the apex court, has heightened expectations that the Turaki-led PDP faction (aligned with several PDP governors) may be on the verge of victory in the long-running battle over the party’s national leadership.
According to proceedings, the Supreme Court Registry had issued distinct numbers for the cross-appeals filed by the Wike-backed group, separate from the main appeal numbers.
The five-man panel, after careful examination, described this as a “strange practice” never before witnessed in Supreme Court procedures.
The Justices directed the counsel for the Wike-backed PDP NWC to immediately withdraw the separate cross-appeal numbers and harmonize them with the main appeal numbers as directed by the court.
They explicitly instructed the parties to treat the issuance of separate numbers as an error and a mistake on the part of the Supreme Court Registry.
After listening to arguments from both the cross-appellants and respondents, the panel decided that the date for judgment on the substantive main appeal will be communicated to the senior counsels in due course.
The ruling came on the same day the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear appeals stemming from the PDP leadership crisis, including challenges to the nullification of the Ibadan National Convention held in November 2025, which had produced the Turaki-led executive.
The Wike-aligned faction had gone ahead with its own convention in Abuja earlier in 2026, electing a new NWC led by Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
Fresh Prison Threat Against Sam Anyanwu and INEC Chairman
Compounding the pressure on the Wike-backed group, a separate but related development emerged today: the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, issued a Form 48 (notice of consequences of disobedience of court order) against Senator Samuel Anyanwu (National Secretary of the Wike-backed PDP faction) and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan.
The court warned both men that they risk imprisonment for contempt if they fail to comply with its judgment of January 12, 2026, which dismissed Anyanwu’s suit challenging his earlier expulsion/suspension from the PDP.
The Form 48, dated April 20, 2026, explicitly states that continued disobedience of the order would amount to contempt of court, making the affected parties liable to be committed to prison.
This latest contempt notice adds to the legal woes surrounding the recognition of the Wike-backed leadership, as INEC had previously updated its records to reflect the outcomes of the Wike faction’s convention.
Background to the Crisis
The PDP has been deeply divided since late 2025, with factions broadly aligned to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike on one side and several state governors (including those sympathetic to the Turaki group) on the other.
Multiple court rulings have been issued at lower levels, with appeals escalating to the Supreme Court.
The Turaki-led faction has consistently argued that the Wike-backed convention and subsequent actions were conducted in contempt of pending court processes.
The Supreme Court’s intervention today on the procedural anomaly is being interpreted by supporters of the Turaki camp as a strong indication that the apex court is meticulously scrutinizing all aspects of the appeals to ensure procedural integrity.
A source close to the proceedings, speaking under anonymity, noted: “The court’s firm stance on harmonizing the appeals and treating the registry’s action as a mistake sends a clear signal that technicalities will not be allowed to derail justice in this matter.”
The final judgment on the main appeal is now eagerly awaited, as it could determine which faction legitimately controls the PDP’s national structures ahead of future electoral activities.
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