A Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Chief Sunday Olaifa, has urged the party’s Board of Trustees led by Adolphus Wabara to urgently resolve its leadership crisis.
Olaifa spoke on Monday while reacting to the Court of Appeal ruling on the prolonged dispute over the party’s national leadership.
He is a former Lagos PDP Vice Chairman (West) and current state Organising Secretary of the Dr Amos Fawole-led newly inaugurated executive committee.
The Court of Appeal upheld an earlier ruling by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, nullifying the Nov. 15–16, 2025 PDP national convention in Ibadan.
The convention produced the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee, which the court invalidated.
The appellate court also upheld the suspension of three principal officers, including National Secretary Samuel Nwanyanwu, linked to a faction backed by Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.
Olaifa described the ruling as a “win-win situation” that nevertheless requires urgent political intervention to stabilise the party.
“While the legitimacy of the convention that produced the Turaki-led NWC is contested, the Wike-backed leadership cannot also stand by this ruling.
“All actions taken by those suspended officers within the 30 days, including dissolving state executives and constituting another NWC, are illegal and void.
“Today’s Appeal Court judgment is a little to the left and a little to the right. You lost one, you gained one,” Olaifa said.
He said the ruling nullifying the Ibadan convention also effectively halted operations of the factional National Caretaker Committee led by Mohammed Abdulrahman.
“With the judgment stopping that committee’s operations, we must move quickly to save the soul of the PDP,” he said.
Olaifa argued that structures and congresses conducted under the disputed caretaker leadership lacked legal standing.
“Can someone who has been suspended summon a meeting to appoint a caretaker committee or dissolve executives in any state?
“The court’s affirmation of the suspension means all activities carried out by the committee are null and void. The best option is to return to the drawing board,” he said.
He insisted the caretaker committee cannot remain, adding that its dissolution of state executives and creation of new structures were illegal.
“Even ward and local government congresses conducted by the committee, as well as planned conventions, will amount to an exercise in futility,” he said.
According to Olaifa, state executives earlier dissolved by the Abdulrahman-led caretaker committee remain valid in the eyes of the judgment.
He said the only PDP organ unaffected by the ruling is the Board of Trustees led by Wabara.
“The only body not affected by the judgment is the BoT under Adolphus Wabara. The BoT is now the lifeline of the PDP.
“This body should wake up, bring both camps together and chart a new path for the survival of the party.
“If nothing is done urgently, the party may drift into the wilderness,” Olaifa warned.
He added that neither faction could claim outright victory from the judgment.
“The ruling is not a victory for any camp. We will only win if we agree to come together and return to the drawing board,” he said.
Olaifa also said the ruling has implications for the party’s ability to conduct congresses or present candidates for elections.
“Even the factional caretaker committee cannot produce candidates for elections because you cannot build something on nothing.
“Either the BoT intervenes now or we wait for the Supreme Court, as I foresee appeals heading to the apex court,” Olaifa said.
He noted that parties dissatisfied with the appellate decision still have the option of approaching the Supreme Court.
Olaifa recalled that the apex court had previously ruled that party congresses and leadership processes are largely internal affairs of political parties.
He said such precedents show the PDP leadership should resolve the crisis internally rather than prolong legal battles.
