The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed Wednesday, April 22, 2026, for the hearing of two appeals filed by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the party’s disputed national convention.
A five-member panel of the apex court set the date on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, after granting applications for accelerated hearing in the politically sensitive case.
The court approved a departure from its usual procedural timelines and ordered an abridgment of time. It directed respondents to file their briefs within five days, while the appellants were given two days to file replies, if any.
The appeals challenge the March 9, 2026 judgments of the Court of Appeal Nigeria, which upheld earlier decisions of the Federal High Court of Nigeria restraining the PDP from proceeding with its national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025.
The Federal High Court had ordered the party to comply fully with statutory provisions, including the Electoral Act and the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, before conducting the exercise.
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The disputed convention, previously held in Ibadan and later challenged in court, became the subject of multiple suits instituted by aggrieved party members.
The trial court judgments were delivered in 2025 by Justice James Omotosho and Justice Peter Lifu in cases filed by dissatisfied PDP members, including former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to the appellants, Senior Advocates of Nigeria Chris Uche and Paul Erokoro, moved motions seeking expedited hearing of the appeals.
Prominent party figures were in attendance, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde; Kabiru Tanimu Turaki; former Niger State governor Aliyu Babangida; and former PDP deputy national chairman Taufeek Arapaja.
With the apex court now set to hear the matter on April 22, 2026, the ruling is expected to significantly influence the PDP’s ongoing leadership and structural dispute ahead of future party activities.