Odita Sunday 
Court Rulings On PDP Leadership: HURIWA Challenges INEC Over Alleged Delay In Recognising Turaki-Led Interim Structure
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has mounted pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publicly explain what it described as the failure to fully enforce court decisions affecting the leadership structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning that selective compliance with judicial pronouncements could undermine confidence in democratic institutions.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, by Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), HURIWA questioned why INEC had allegedly not recognised and implemented the interim leadership arrangement reportedly constituted by the PDP Board of Trustees under the leadership of Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, SAN, despite judicial pronouncements that it said raised fundamental legal questions over existing party structures.
The rights group argued that the electoral commission, as an independent constitutional body, has a duty to administer electoral processes and regulate political parties strictly within the confines of the law, insisting that implementation of court judgments should not be subject to administrative discretion.
According to HURIWA, recent judicial decisions have generated serious legal concerns surrounding the status of certain PDP officials, the validity of suspensions, the implications of the Supreme Court’s nullification of the Ibadan Convention, and subsequent actions linked to that convention.
The organisation maintained that these issues remain legal matters requiring compliance rather than political interpretation.
HURIWA also expressed concern over what it described as growing perceptions among some PDP members and democratic stakeholders that political interests could be influencing institutional responses to the legal disputes.
It stated that regardless of such perceptions, INEC must act in a manner that reinforces public trust in its neutrality, independence and adherence to constitutional principles.
The group further referenced a recent Court of Appeal judgment concerning the status of former National Legal Adviser, A.K. Ajibade, SAN, noting that the ruling introduced legal questions that should not be ignored.
According to HURIWA, the appellate court held that Ajibade’s tenure expired in December 2025 and found no evidence of any valid re-election thereafter.
Quoting the judgment, the group stated:
“While I agree that the suspension of A.K. Ajibade, SAN, elapsed after one month from 1st November, 2025; yet his tenure of office expired in December, 2025. A.K. Ajibade, SAN, either way could not have issued a valid letter of instruction thereafter, unless there was an intervening circumstance.”
HURIWA argued that the judgment raises broader legal concerns regarding processes and actions allegedly undertaken after the expiration of that tenure.
The organisation further claimed that the ruling had triggered questions over the legitimacy of the March 29, 2026 convention reportedly conducted by the faction associated with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
The group called on INEC to publicly clarify its position on the legal implications of the judicial pronouncements, explain why it had allegedly not recognised the Turaki-led interim arrangement, disclose the legal basis for continued recognition of disputed structures, and indicate whether it had conducted any internal legal review of the Court of Appeal ruling and related decisions.
HURIWA maintained that democracy can only thrive where judicial decisions are respected and implemented, stressing that public institutions must demonstrate fidelity to constitutional authority.
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