The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plunging the nation into judicial confusion through the issuance and exploitation of conflicting court rulings linked to its disputed national convention.
In a statement on Wednesday, APC spokesman Mr. Seye Oladejo said the PDP’s internal crisis reached a troubling new level with contradictory judgments emerging from the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan—each conveniently adopted by rival factions seeking legitimacy.
THE WHISTLER reports that a faction of the PDP held a national convention last Saturday in Ibadan, Oyo State, with the election of its new national leadership.
Former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Kabiru Turaki, emerged as the PDP National Chairman after securing 1,516 votes at the convention.
But the crisis within the party deepened almost immediately after the exercise. Tensions escalated on Tuesday during the first National Working Committee (NWC) meeting convened by Turaki’s team at the PDP headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
Before Turaki and his NWC members arrived, the former National Secretary, Mr. Samuel Anyanwu—who was suspended and later expelled at the convention in Ibadan—had already occupied the secretariat alongside his parallel NWC for a meeting with his faction’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
Anyanwu’s faction enjoys the backing of the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike. Upon learning that Turaki, alongside Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, was present at the headquarters, Wike stormed the secretariat, heightening tensions.
Chaos erupted shortly after, forcing police officers to disperse party members with tear gas.
Oladejo described the situation as an assault on judicial integrity, warning that the PDP’s actions risk subjecting Nigeria’s courts to both domestic embarrassment and international ridicule.
He said the increasing trend of political actors selectively obeying court orders posed a serious threat to the rule of law.
“At this juncture, Nigerians cannot be faulted for asking: When did judicial pronouncements become an item available for purchase at Dugbe Market?
“Even worse, the PDP has now normalised the dangerous practice of choosing which court order to obey and which to discard, depending on which faction benefits.
“A party that shamelessly cherry-picks which order to obey is certainly not practicing democracy. It is practicing confusion, lawlessness, and transactional opportunism,” Oladejo stated.
The APC spokesperson argued that the PDP’s conduct, if not corrected, was setting a dangerous precedent where litigants procure judgments from the comfort of their bedrooms, thereby turning courts into tools of political convenience rather than institutions of justice.
The ruling party also pointed to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) refusal to monitor the PDP’s convention as a significant indicator of the event’s questionable legality.
According to the APC, the electoral umpire’s decision amounted to an institutional vote of no confidence in the opposition party’s processes.
Oladejo maintained that the PDP’s persistent internal disorder had transformed the once-dominant party into a state of confusion, adding that its actions endangered both democratic norms and national stability.
He reaffirmed that the APC remains committed to upholding due process and strengthening public institutions.
“The events surrounding the PDP’s failed convention are more than an embarrassment – they are a warning,” Oladejo said.
“A party that shops for court rulings like food stuffs at Dugbe Market cannot lecture the nation on democracy. A party that selectively obeys court orders is unfit for leadership.”
The APC called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take decisive action to protect the integrity of the judiciary in the face of what it termed growing abuse by political actors.