Politics
Wike Hails Appeal Court as Voice of Reason After Landmark Ruling Nullifies PDP’s Ibadan Convention
FCT Minister and PDP strongman Nyesom Wike has thrown his full weight behind the Court of Appeal’s landmark ruling delivered in Abuja on Monday, describing it as proof that the law has spoken and calling on party members to use the moment as an opportunity for genuine introspection rather than further legal warfare.
Speaking at his Abuja residence shortly after the judgment, Wike described the ruling as a wake-up call and urged members who genuinely care about the party’s survival to resist taking the matter to the Supreme Court, warning that doing so would only drag out the internal crisis. He declared that he and his allies remained ready for whatever legal battle lay ahead, but made clear that his preference was for the party to look inward and move forward.
The ruling itself was sweeping in its scope. A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, on Monday upheld the October 31, 2025 judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which had restrained INEC from recognising the outcome of the PDP’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025.
Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that the PDP violated constitutional provisions governing the conduct of party conventions, specifically finding that no valid notice of the convention was served on INEC as required by law. The appellate court also held that valid state congresses were not conducted in more than 14 states before the convention was convened, contrary to the requirements of both the Electoral Act and the party’s own constitution. The court dismissed the PDP’s appeal as frivolous and imposed a cost of ₦2 million against the party.
The ruling also dismissed the Turaki-led faction’s argument that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to interfere in what it described as the internal affairs of a political party, with the appellate court holding that the issues raised were squarely within the purview of the courts given their constitutional dimensions.
The judgment has profound implications for the PDP’s already battered leadership structure. The Ibadan convention had produced Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as PDP National Chairman following a tense and highly controversial process — and its nullification effectively strips that outcome of legal validity, throwing the Turaki faction’s claim to the party’s leadership into serious doubt.
Wike’s camp confirmed that the national convention planned for March 29 and 30, organised by the caretaker committee it backs, remains firmly on course. He said preparations for the convention — which is intended to produce a new set of national officers through a process compliant with all statutory requirements — are already in an advanced stage.
ADC chieftain Austin Okai, responding to the ruling, warned politicians still within the PDP that the judgment signals the likely direction of the Supreme Court, and that any candidates produced under the Ibadan convention structure face disqualification if the convention is ultimately voided at the highest judicial level. He described staying in the PDP at this stage as a risk no serious politician with 2027 ambitions should be willing to take.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has appointed Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his new Chief of Staff following the resignation of his predecessor, Segun Ogunwuyi.
The appointment was announced on Monday, October 12, 2026, in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde. The new appointment takes immediate effect.
Akinwole previously served as chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission. He is a grassroots politician from Ogbomoso, the same hometown as Ogunwuyi.
Alongside the appointment, Makinde named Mrs Aderonke Adedayo as Director-General of the state’s Due Process Office. Adedayo, who currently serves as Special Adviser on General Intervention and Donor Agencies, will retain her existing position while taking on the additional responsibility.
The appointments followed Ogunwuyi’s resignation earlier on Monday. In his resignation letter, dated October 12, he said his decision took immediate effect and expressed gratitude to Makinde for the opportunity to serve the government and people of Oyo State.
Ogunwuyi, a former member of the Oyo State House of Assembly and the House of Representatives, did not publicly state any political disagreement as the reason for his resignation.
The departure comes amid the recent exits of several political appointees from the Makinde administration. However, no official reason linking Ogunwuyi’s resignation to the wider political developments has been established.
Governor Makinde congratulated the new appointees and urged them to discharge their responsibilities with loyalty, commitment and dedication to public service.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to inaugurate the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The inauguration will take place at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, bringing together party leaders and other stakeholders to coordinate the ruling party’s campaign activities.
Former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who serves as Director-General of the campaign council, disclosed the development on Friday after meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa. He said the President had approved the proposed campaign timetable.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is the council’s secretary, while former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Betta Edu, is expected to play a key role in its women mobilisation directorate.
The campaign council is expected to coordinate the APC’s preparations for Tinubu’s re-election bid, including grassroots mobilisation, communication and engagement with voters across the country.
According to Yari, the campaign is scheduled to begin with a rally in Kaduna on October 24, before moving to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Maiduguri, Borno State.
Ahead of the formal inauguration, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and members of the women mobilisation team have reportedly begun grassroots engagement across the country.
The team has set a target of mobilising 40 million women’s votes for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket through outreach across communities and polling-unit structures in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The October 14 event is expected to formally activate the campaign council’s operations as the APC begins preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has surpassed 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed the latest figure on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission.
According to Amupitan, the increase followed the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the final clean-up of the register using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
The three phases of the CVR exercise produced a combined 10,772,421 new registrations.
The first phase, conducted between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations. The second phase, held from January 5 to April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 registrations, while the third phase, conducted from May 11 to July 26, recorded 3,867,997 registrations.
Amupitan said the newly registered voters were subjected to biometric verification, while the commission also completed the public display of the Preliminary Register to allow citizens to raise claims and objections.
Following the final ABIS clean-up, INEC said the national voter register had moved beyond the 103 million mark.
PVC Collection to Begin October 9
The INEC chairman also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Newly produced PVCs are expected to be distributed to Local Government Area collection centres for eligible voters to collect.
The commission has also introduced printable PVC technology, which it says is designed to reduce the waiting period for voters who need new or replacement cards.
INEC said the technology was introduced in accordance with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The commission has completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities on its timetable for the 2027 elections, according to Amupitan.
The latest voter register figure marks a significant increase from the 93,469,008 registered voters recorded for the 2023 general elections.
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