The Interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by its Chairman, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), has held a closed-door meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, marking the party’s first major consultation following a recent Federal High Court ruling affecting its leadership dispute.
Although neither the PDP nor Jonathan officially disclosed the agenda of the meeting, party insiders said discussions focused on the implications of the court judgment and possible steps toward resolving the party’s prolonged internal leadership crisis.
The delegation, headed by Turaki, visited the former president at his residence in the Federal Capital Territory. While the party confirmed the visit, it did not reveal the identities of other members of the delegation or issue an official statement after the meeting.
The consultation followed a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that struck out a suit filed by the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), which sought an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee and update the commission’s official records accordingly.
The court upheld the preliminary objections raised by INEC and other defendants, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the action and that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim stated:
“The court does not decide hypothetical or academic questions.”
The judge added that the evidence presented before the court showed that INEC had monitored the PDP convention that produced the rival leadership currently recognised by the electoral commission.
Justice Ibrahim further held that the suit attempted to revisit issues that had already been settled in previous legal proceedings before striking out the case.
A source familiar with the meeting said the delegation briefed Jonathan on the outcome of the court case and sought his guidance on the party’s next steps.
“The discussion was essentially on the implications of the judgment. The delegation briefed the former president on the outcome of the case and sought his views on the way forward for the party,” the source disclosed.
The meeting comes at a crucial period for the main opposition party as it continues efforts to stabilise its internal leadership structure and navigate the legal and political challenges confronting it ahead of future electoral contests.
