PDP Crisis: Court Orders Accelerated Hearing In BoT Suit Against INEC

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ordered accelerated hearing in a suit filed by the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the leadership crisis rocking the party.

Justice Salim Ibrahim gave the order after counsel to the plaintiffs, Chief Gordy Uche, SAN, informed the court that the matter was time-bound in view of INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, which he said gave July as an ultimatum.

The plaintiffs, made up of members of the Wabara-led BoT and the PDP, are asking the court to compel INEC to recognise the Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the party and reflect the same on its official website.

They are also seeking an order directing the electoral umpire to update its records and publish on its website the names of members of the interim NWC as forwarded to it by the plaintiffs and the party’s National Executive Committee.

According to the plaintiffs, the names of members of the Kabir Turaki-led interim NWC were forwarded to INEC through letters dated May 4.

Naija News reports that the originating summons, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by a team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN.

The plaintiffs are former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara; BoT Secretary and former Niger State governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu; former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana; and PDP chieftain, Olabode George, as 1st to 4th plaintiffs.

Others are former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Maryam Ciroma; former Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina; BoT and NEC member, Dame Esther Uduehi; and the PDP as 5th to 8th plaintiffs, respectively.

INEC was sued as the sole defendant in the matter.

When the case was called, Uche announced the appearance for all the plaintiffs, including the PDP, which is listed as the 8th plaintiff.

He informed the court that the national chairman of the faction he represented, Kabir Turaki, SAN, was also in court, alongside Prof. Gana, the 3rd plaintiff.

However, Mr Sunday Ameh, SAN, also announced his appearance for the PDP.

Uche objected to the development, saying, “I have announced appearance for the 8th plaintiff, and I am surprised that the learned senior counsel also announced his appearance for the same plaintiff.

“And we have our national chairman here in court.”

The development generated confusion in court.

Ameh said he had instructions to represent the PDP and had filed a notice of change of counsel earlier in the morning.

He also said he filed a motion on notice seeking the striking out of the PDP’s name from the suit on the ground that the party did not authorise the action.

“When we get there, your lordship will determine the propriety of the application,” Ameh said.

Wike-backed Faction Seeks To Join Suit

After O.A. Adeyemi announced appearance for INEC, Adedayo Adedeji, SAN, also announced appearance for applicants seeking to be joined in the suit.

Adedeji listed the applicants seeking to be joined as 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants as Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, Hon. Amah Abraham Nnanna and Mr Turnah George.

Another lawyer, George Ibrahim, SAN, also announced appearance for parties seeking to be joined as defendants.

Ibrahim said he represented Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, the National Chairman of the PDP faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the National Secretary; and Kamardeen Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN, the party’s National Legal Adviser.

Adedeji told the court that he had filed a motion on notice for the applicants seeking to be joined on Thursday.

He argued that the joinder application should be heard and determined first before the court could proceed with the main suit.

Ibrahim also aligned himself with the position and urged the court to determine the joinder application before going into the substantive matter.

INEC Confirms Service

Uche told the court that the plaintiffs filed the suit by originating summons on June 4, with INEC as the sole defendant.

He said the commission had been duly served.

He also told the court that he had received two applications for joinder from Adedeji and Ibrahim, as well as an application from Ameh seeking a change of counsel.

Uche said he found it strange that Ameh wanted to appear for the PDP, which he was already representing in the suit.

He added that he had also received another motion from Ameh, praying the court to strike out the name of the PDP from the suit, saying he was served with the motion shortly before the commencement of the proceedings.

INEC’s lawyer, Adeyemi, confirmed that the commission was served with the plaintiffs’ originating summons on June 11.

He said INEC was also served with processes filed by Ameh, Adedeji and Ibrahim.

Adeyemi said the commission would not oppose the applications for joinder and would leave the question of who should represent the PDP to the discretion of the court.

“We don’t intend to dabble in who to represent PDP in this matter, my lord,” Adeyemi said.

Uche did not oppose the request that the applications for joinder and Ameh’s motions be determined first.

He, however, said he would “vehemently oppose” the applications for joinder, the notice of change of counsel and the motion to strike out the PDP’s name filed by Adedeji, Ibrahim and Ameh.

He asked the court for a short adjournment to enable him to file counter-affidavits against all the processes.

Justice Ibrahim consequently adjourned the matter until June 30 at noon for hearing of the applications for joinder, notice of change of counsel and the motion to strike out the name of the PDP from the suit.

“Therefore, because of the urgency of this matter, this court will hereby abridge the time for the expeditious hearing of the matter,” the judge said.

Justice Ibrahim directed all parties to ensure that they filed their processes and responded within time before the next adjourned date.

“The court will not entertain any act of delay in this suit,” the judge warned.

The suit comes after the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on June 3, set aside key aspects of a Federal High Court judgment delivered in Ibadan, Oyo State, which had recognised a factional caretaker committee in the PDP.

The appellate court held that the trial court granted reliefs that were not sought by any of the parties to the suit.

Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who delivered the unanimous judgment, faulted Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, for going beyond the issues placed before the court in the dispute arising from the PDP leadership crisis.

Justice Agomoh had, in a judgment delivered on January 30, recognised the caretaker committee led by Abdurahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu of the camp loyal to Wike as the legitimate leadership faction of the PDP.

However, the Court of Appeal held that none of the parties before the lower court had sought such a declaration.

Wabara-led BoT Relies On Earlier Court Decisions

In the fresh suit filed on June 4, the Wabara-led BoT is seeking a declaration that INEC is constitutionally bound to enforce and give full effect to the decision of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in suit number CV/1050/2025 between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Ambassador Umar Damagun and eight others, delivered on January 12.

The plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that INEC is bound by decisions in appeal number CA/ABI/1613/2025 between PDP and two others versus Hon. Austine Nwachukwu and eight others, delivered on March 9.

They further want the court to hold that the electoral body is bound by the decisions in appeal numbers SC/CV/164/2026 between PDP and Alhaji Sule Lamido and four others, and SC/CV/166/2026 between PDP and two others versus Hon. Austine Nwachukwu and eight others, both delivered on April 30.

They are asking the court for an order directing INEC to accept and give effect to all official correspondence, communications, notices and engagements concerning the PDP from the interim NWC.

They also want INEC to direct all communications concerning the party to the interim NWC forwarded to the commission by the plaintiffs and the NEC through letters dated May 4.

In the affidavit in support of the originating summons, deposed to by former Niger State governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, he said that on November 1, 2025, some key officers of the PDP, including Senator Anyanwu, Hon. Umar M. Bature, Adeyemi Kamaldeen Ajibade and Barr. Okechukwu Osuoha, were suspended by a resolution of the NWC for alleged gross misconduct, anti-party activities and insubordination against the party.

Aliyu said that at the 608th meeting of the NWC held on November 1, 2025, the suspension of the affected officers was approved and they were referred to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action.

He alleged that the four affected members “deliberately refused, failed and neglected” to submit themselves to the party’s disciplinary committee and continued to act as officers of the PDP despite the absence of any resolution lifting their suspension.

He also said Anyanwu had earlier been recommended for expulsion from the PDP in a report dated March 10, 2025, submitted by the National Disciplinary Committee.

According to him, the recommendation for Anyanwu’s expulsion was upheld at the 608th meeting of the NWC held on November 1, 2025.

Aliyu said that after his expulsion, Anyanwu filed suit number CV/1050/2025 against Damagun and others at the FCT High Court, challenging his expulsion from the party.

He averred that on January 12, the FCT High Court delivered judgment dismissing Anyanwu’s claim on merit.

The former governor said the BoT, at its emergency meeting held on November 5, 2025, constituted a reconciliation committee preparatory to the PDP’s national elective convention.

He said the party held its elective national convention on November 15 and 16, 2025, during which national officers were elected.

According to Aliyu, the convention became the subject of several litigations that went from the Federal High Court to the Supreme Court.

He said the convention was eventually nullified by the Court of Appeal in appeal number CA/ABI/1613/2025 between PDP and two others versus Hon. Austine Nwachukwu and eight others, delivered on March 9.

Aliyu said the appellate court judgment also affirmed the suspension of the key officers of the PDP by virtue of the resolution of the NWC.

He added that on further appeal to the Supreme Court, the apex court, in judgments delivered on April 30 in SC/CV/164/2026 between PDP and Alhaji Sule Lamido and four others, and SC/CV/166/2026 between PDP and two others versus Hon. Austine Nwachukwu and eight others, affirmed the Court of Appeal judgment nullifying the November 15 and 16, 2025 national convention.

He said the Supreme Court also dismissed the cross-appeal challenging the suspension of the affected key officers.

Aliyu said the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judgments created a vacuum in the PDP leadership structure after nullifying the November 2025 convention and upholding the suspension of affected officers.

“Consequent, upon the vacuum created in the leadership structure of the 8th plaintiff (PDP) following the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court nullifying the 15th and 16th November, 2025 elective national convention of the 8th plaintiff and which also upheld the suspension of the affected key officers of the 8th plaintiff, the BoT, comprising the 1st to 7th plaintiffs constituted an interim NWC mandated to oversee the affairs of the 8th plaintiff pending the conduct of a valid national convention,” Aliyu said.

He said the constitution of the interim NWC was communicated to INEC by the party’s BoT and NEC through letters dated May 4.

He added that the interim NWC, at its meeting held on May 12, assigned portfolios to members, and the development was forwarded to INEC.

According to him, the electoral body was also notified of the assignment of portfolios by a letter dated May 15.

Plaintiffs Accuse INEC Of Refusing To Update Records

Aliyu said despite receiving letters dated May 4 and May 15 from the BoT, NEC and NWC, which he described as the highest organs of the party, INEC failed and refused to effect the necessary corrections in its records or accord recognition to the interim NWC.

He said the steps taken by the party were pursuant to Article 32(5)(c) of the PDP Constitution, as amended in 2017.

Aliyu also said that after INEC allegedly failed to comply with the earlier letters, further letters were written through the party’s lawyer, Chief Uche, on May 8 and May 13, urging the commission to give effect to subsisting court judgments.

He alleged, “That the defendant has consistently failed and refused to obey and give effect to the decisions of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court by effecting the necessary corrections in its record, as it has continued to retain the name of the persons who have been lawfully suspended, expelled and ceased to be members of the 8th plaintiff, along with other members constituted by these suspended and expelled members.”

The former governor said INEC was under a constitutional and legal obligation to comply with valid and subsisting judgments of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

He described the commission’s alleged conduct as “a grave affront to the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

Aliyu said unless the court intervened, INEC would continue to disregard valid and subsisting judgments of the courts.

He urged the court to grant the reliefs sought in the originating summons in the interest of justice.