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 amid the party’s lingering leadership crisis.
The meeting, held at Jonathan’s residence in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is believed to be the first major consultation by the Turaki-led leadership following the recent Federal High Court ruling on a suit filed by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
Although neither the PDP nor the former president disclosed details of the discussions, sources within the party said the meeting focused on the implications of the court judgment and the way forward for the opposition party.
The delegation, led by Turaki, reportedly briefed Jonathan on the outcome of the legal battle and sought his advice on resolving the party’s internal leadership dispute.
No official statement was issued after the meeting, and the identities of other members of the delegation were not disclosed.
The consultation followed a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja striking out a suit instituted by the PDP Board of Trustees, 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 records accordingly.
In his ruling, Justice Salim Ibrahim upheld the preliminary objections raised by INEC and other defendants, holding that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the suit and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The judge also noted that courts do not determine hypothetical or academic questions, adding that evidence before the court showed INEC had monitored the PDP convention that produced the rival leadership currently recognised by the electoral body.
Justice Ibrahim further ruled that the suit sought to revisit issues that had already been determined in earlier proceedings before striking it out.
A party source familiar with the meeting said the discussions centred on the legal and political 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 said.
The meeting comes as the PDP continues efforts to resolve its internal leadership crisis and reposition itself ahead of future political activities and elections.
