Court battles rock parties ahead of 2027 polls

As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, the country’s opposition landscape is increasingly being shaped not just by political mobilisation but by courtroom battles that threaten internal cohesion and electoral readiness. NATHANIEL SHAIBU writes

Across major political parties, leadership disputes, contested conventions and factional rivalries have spilled into the judiciary, turning the courts into a parallel arena for determining party control and legitimacy.

No fewer than seven of the 21 political parties recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission are currently entangled in active court cases, a situation that is steadily reshaping the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The figure represents more than 30 per cent of the total number of registered political parties by the electoral party.

Findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that the most affected parties include the Peoples Democratic Party,  Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and African Democratic Congress, all of which are battling internal crises over leadership, conventions and control of party structures.

The disputes spread across federal and state High Courts, the Court of Appeal and, in some cases, the Supreme Court.

Within the PDP, litigation has moved through multiple layers of the judicial system.

Disputes over disciplinary measures and leadership positions have been challenged at the High Court level, while issues relating to the validity of the party’s national convention and its leadership structure have progressed from the Federal High Court to the Court of Appeal and are now awaiting final determination at the Supreme Court.

Among such cases is the appeal of the embattled National Secretary of the party, Sam Anyanwu, challenging a High Court judgment that upheld his suspension from the PDP over anti-party activities.

Similarly, a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Tanimu Turaki, is challenging separate Federal High Court judgments voiding the party’s national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025, as well as the leadership elected from the same convention.

The outcome of the cases, particularly regarding the convention in which the apex court has reserved judgment, is expected to settle the question of which faction controls the party heading into the election cycle.

On the other hand, the ADC is facing a similar test at the apex court, where a leadership tussle has escalated into a full-blown legal battle.

The dispute centres on competing claims to the party’s national leadership  by the former Senate President, David Mark, and former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala, and the question of which executive committee should be recognised by INEC.

With judgment already reserved by the Supreme Court, the case is widely seen as pivotal to the party’s readiness for the next elections.

Meanwhile, in the Labour Party, the crisis revolves around the legitimacy of its national leadership, with embattled Chairman, Julius Abure, claiming his continued tenure as the party leader, despite a court order pronouncing Nenadi Usman as Caretaker Commitee Chairman.

The matter, which began at the Federal High Court, has moved to the Court of Appeal and may ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court.

The dispute has created uncertainty over the party’s structure and decision-making processes, particularly as it relates to candidate nomination.

Meanwhile, the NNPP is also grappling with internal divisions that have spilled into the courts.

Cases at the trial court level are challenging factional leadership claims and control of party organs, raising concerns about the party’s cohesion and its ability to present a united front in the elections.

Even the ruling All Progressives Congress has had its share of litigation, though largely confined to pre-election disputes involving candidate nominations and internal disagreements, mostly at the Federal High Court level.

Unlike the opposition parties, however, the cases have not significantly threatened the party’s national leadership structure.

Across the affected parties, the disputes follow a familiar pattern.

Leadership tussles, challenges to the validity of conventions, disciplinary actions such as suspensions and expulsions, and struggles over control of party structures dominate the cases.

In many instances, litigants are seeking court orders to compel INEC to recognise one faction over another, effectively shifting internal party governance from party organs to the judiciary.

The spread of the cases across different levels of the courts is already creating pressure as the electoral timetable approaches.

With deadlines for primaries and submission of candidates expected to be announced by INEC, unresolved litigation poses a direct risk to the affected parties.

The persistent internal crises and court battles appear to have weakened opposition parties, leading to fragmentation, parallel leadership structures and, in some instances, defections by members seeking more stable platforms.

This development has indirectly strengthened the position of the APC, which, despite its own internal disagreements, has maintained a comparatively stable structure nationwide, boasting 32 state governors and secretary defections among lawmakers.

The result is a political environment in which parties are not only competing at the polls but also fighting for survival in the courts.

As the 2027 elections draw closer, the outcome of these cases will play a decisive role in determining the readiness and viability of the affected parties.

With at least seven parties currently in court and several disputes pending before the highest levels of the judiciary, the trajectory of Nigeria’s opposition politics may ultimately be shaped as much by judicial pronouncements as by political strategy.