The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced that the Court of Appeal has invalidated the recognition previously granted to what it described as an illegal Caretaker Committee, following a judgment delivered on Wednesday.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP said its legal team informed the party that the appellate court ruled that there were no longer any live issues in the appeal, as the central matter related to the party’s national convention, which had already been nullified by the Supreme Court.

According to the statement, the Court of Appeal held that the aspect of an earlier judgment that recognized the Caretaker Committee was not an issue before the court and therefore should not have been included in the ruling.

The court reportedly stated that, under normal circumstances, the appropriate remedy would have been to order a retrial. However, it noted that since the substantive issue had become academic, a retrial would serve no useful purpose.

The PDP further stated that the appellate court affirmed the suspension of A.K. Ajibade and, by extension, Sam Anyanwu and others, holding that Ajibade lacked the authority to act on behalf of the party.

The party maintained that the judgment effectively nullifies the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which had served as the basis for the recognition of the Caretaker Committee.

Consequently, the PDP called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately withdraw recognition from the Caretaker Committee and instead recognize the party’s Interim National Working Committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.

The development marks the latest chapter in the internal leadership dispute within the opposition party, with the judgment expected to have significant implications for the PDP’s organizational structure and future political activities.