The Supreme Court of Nigeria has scheduled April 22 for the hearing of an appeal arising from the prolonged leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party.

During proceedings on Tuesday, a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba granted an accelerated hearing and imposed strict deadlines for the filing and exchange of legal processes.

Among those present in court were Seyi Makinde, factional national chairman Tanimu Turaki, and national secretary Taofeek Arapaja. However, Bala Mohammed was absent, reportedly due to plans to defect to another party ahead of the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The appeal, filed by the Turaki-led faction, challenges the nullification of the party’s Ibadan national convention. The appellants, comprising the PDP, its National Working Committee, and National Executive Committee argued for an expedited hearing, citing urgency tied to INEC’s April 23 deadline for submission of candidates by political parties.

Although the opposing faction aligned with Nyesom Wike did not contest the request for accelerated hearing, it sought additional time to respond. INEC also requested time to file its processes.

The court, however, directed all respondents to file their briefs within five days, while the appellants were given two days to reply on points of law where necessary. All filings must be completed by April 21, ahead of the scheduled hearing.

The dispute stems from judgments delivered on March 9 by the Court of Appeal, which upheld earlier rulings of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullifying the PDP’s November 2025 convention in Ibadan. The courts ruled that the convention violated existing court orders, provisions of the Electoral Act, and the party’s constitution.

Specifically, the Federal High Court had restrained the party from conducting the convention due to failures including improper notice to INEC and irregularities in congresses held in several states.

Dissatisfied with the rulings, the Turaki-led faction approached the apex court seeking to overturn the decisions and validate the leadership that emerged from the Ibadan convention.

The crisis has since escalated into a deep factional divide, with rival groups maintaining parallel leadership structures, further intensifying uncertainty within the party.