INEC Rejects Turaki-Led PDP NWC Over Pending Court Cases

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declined to recognize the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party that is led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki and backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, citing multiple pending court judgments as the basis for its position.

INEC’s decision was communicated in a letter dated December 22, 2025, in which the electoral body said it could not act on requests to upload or acknowledge the list of national officers purportedly elected at the party’s disputed convention earlier this month.

INEC explained that unresolved legal processes and existing court orders relating to the internal leadership dispute within the PDP made it improper for the commission to recognise any factional leadership at this time, even as the party continues to grapple with competing claims to its national executive structure.

The Turaki-led NWC emerged from a contested national convention held in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, which has been challenged in multiple courts over its legality and compliance with party and electoral rules.

INEC’s position underscores its reliance on judicial outcomes to guide recognition of party leadership, reflecting the broader leadership crisis within the PDP that has seen competing factions, conflicting correspondences and separate legal actions seeking to determine who is entitled to act on behalf of the party ahead of the 2027 general election cycle.

The rejection of the Turaki-aligned NWC by INEC adds a layer of uncertainty to the PDP’s internal affairs, as the party works to resolve factional disputes and satisfy legal requirements for a nationally recognised executive committee before statutory deadlines for candidate nominations and primary elections.