With multiple court cases, conflicting rulings, and appeals surrounding the legitimacy of PDP leadership, the party risks entering the 2027 cycle without a legally secure framework to field candidates nationwide. Legal observers say this creates a precarious environment where competing authorities claim legitimacy — a scenario that could directly affect how and by whom candidate primaries are conducted. Nigerian jurisprudence is unequivocal: where the body organising primaries lacks legal standing, the resulting nomination is void. Judicial interpretation has repeatedly reinforced that internal party democracy becomes justiciable once candidate nomination is involved. For the PDP, whose leadership structure is presently contested, legal analysts say the margin for error is dangerously thin.

Source: The Guardian February 10, 2026 05:08 UTC