The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to investigate and impose sanctions on legal practitioners accused of deliberately twisting a recent Court of Appeal judgment concerning the party's leadership dispute.
The party expressed deep concern over what it described as persistent attempts by individuals claiming to be members of an Interim National Working Committee (NWC) to distort the appellate court's ruling for political gain.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the PDP alleged that a press release dated June 3, signed by legal practitioner Comrade Ini Ememobong, contained interpretations and conclusions inconsistent with the actual judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal.
According to the PDP, the alleged distortion of the ruling constitutes an attack on the integrity of the judiciary and the administration of justice.
“The Certified True Copy of the judgment speaks for itself and leaves no room for the false narratives currently being circulated across media and social media platforms,” the statement read.
The PDP maintained that the Court of Appeal did not invalidate the legality or constitutionality of the party's caretaker committee, from which the current National Working Committee emerged. Instead, the court dismissed the appeal on the grounds that it was academic and sought to relitigate issues already determined by superior courts.
The party argued that the judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, delivered on January 30, 2026, therefore remains valid, binding, and enforceable.
It further rejected claims that the appellate court made pronouncements concerning A.K. Ajibade (SAN) or Senator Samuel Anyanwu, insisting that no such declarations appeared anywhere in the judgment.
The opposition party also raised alarm over the circulation of what it described as manipulated excerpts of the court ruling on social media, alleging that highlighted portions presented as part of the judgment did not originate from the court.
Consequently, the PDP urged security agencies and relevant regulatory authorities to investigate the source of the documents and prosecute anyone found culpable.
The party stressed that legal practitioners bear a special responsibility to uphold the integrity of the judicial process, warning that deliberate misrepresentation of court decisions could erode public confidence in the judiciary and heighten political tensions.
It also called on media organizations to exercise caution in reporting judicial matters, urging journalists and editors to verify court documents and seek proper legal interpretation before publishing reports that could mislead the public.
Describing the judiciary as the “last hope of the common man,” the PDP insisted that court judgments must be faithfully represented and protected from manipulation by individuals pursuing partisan interests.
The party therefore appealed to the public, party members, and stakeholders to disregard claims that the Court of Appeal had invalidated the present National Working Committee, reiterating its support for the leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
It warned that failure by relevant authorities to act against those allegedly distorting judicial pronouncements could encourage the spread of misinformation and undermine confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law.
