A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki has said the party will participate in the 2027 general election despite its ongoing internal leadership crisis.
Ini Ememobong, spokesperson of the Turaki faction, made this known on Tuesday after an expanded meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), which included governors, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), state chairmen, and other stakeholders.
According to Ememobong, the meeting was convened to deliberate on the implications of the recent Court of Appeal judgment and its potential impact on the party’s survival and eligibility to contest in future elections.
He said party leaders agreed that the PDP must remain a viable political platform ahead of the 2027 polls.
“Despite the underlying issues, the spirit in the room was clear — PDP must not die. Nigerians still look up to the PDP as a stable platform to contest elections, especially with the tight timelines outlined by INEC,” Ememobong said.
“The guiding philosophy of the discussions was that PDP will be saved and will remain a political party that will be on the ballot.”
He added that leaders of the faction examined various legal, political and strategic options aimed at safeguarding the party’s future.
“Several ideas — legal, social, political and even emotional — were proposed on how to ensure two things: that PDP does not die and that PDP will be on the ballot,” he said.
Ememobong noted that discussions would continue on Wednesday, expressing optimism that clearer strategies would emerge after further deliberations.
The PDP is currently battling a leadership crisis that has split the party into two factions.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja nullified the PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, which produced Turaki as national chairman.
The appellate court upheld an earlier ruling by a Federal High Court restraining the party from conducting the convention.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, the three-member panel dismissed an appeal filed by the Turaki faction challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Abuja to hear the case.
Onyemenam ruled that the faction failed to serve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with a valid notice of the convention as required by law.
He further held that the matter raised before the lower court could not be regarded as an internal affair of the party, affirming that the Federal High Court was right to assume jurisdiction and restrain the electoral body from recognising the outcome of the convention.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who is aligned with the faction led by Abdulrahman Muhammed, welcomed the court ruling, describing it as an opportunity to rebuild the party.