The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, by Justice M. G. Umar, was notably blunt in its assertion that Anyanwu’s tenure has legally expired. Unlike previous judicial interventions in the PDP’s long-standing leadership crisis—which often featured complex jurisdictional nuances—this judgment was described by observers as a straightforward rejection of the attempt by Wike’s allies to maintain their grip on the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The dismissal is seen as a direct challenge to the political “proxy war” spearheaded by the FCT Minister. Senator Anyanwu has long been considered Wike’s primary ally within the PDP’s administrative core. By ruling that Anyanwu’s four-year mandate has officially lapsed and that the judiciary cannot interfere in the party’s internal leadership transitions, the court has effectively neutralized Wike’s remaining foothold in the PDP headquarters.
Senior political analysts, including Rivers State commentator Alvin Idamieibi Igoni Benstowe, suggest that this legal defeat could have far-reaching implications for Wike’s standing within the President Bola Tinubu administration. The prevailing theory among political circles is that Wike’s primary value to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lies in his ability to destabilize and control the opposition from within.
The judgment indirectly bolsters the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led NWC, which emerged from the party’s November 2025 “Ibadan Convention.” By declining to overturn the transitions of that convention, the court has left Wike and his allies with limited legal recourse to challenge their recent expulsions for alleged anti-party activities.
As the political dust settles, the question remains whether this ruling marks the beginning of a broader decline in the FCT Minister’s ability to navigate the judicial and political systems that have previously sustained his federal prominence. For now, the PDP leadership appears to have secured a rare and definitive victory in the courts, moving the party one step closer to a post-Wike era.
