A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) and the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice Salim Ibrahim, who delivered the judgment on Friday, ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, bringing an end to the attempt to validate actions taken by the factional leadership of the opposition party.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed by members of the Wabara-led BoT, including former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Professor Jerry Gana, Olabode George, Hajiya Maryam Ciroma, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Dame Esther Uduehi and the PDP.
The plaintiffs had asked the court to compel INEC to update its records and publish the names of the Turaki-led interim NWC, arguing that the electoral body was constitutionally bound to recognise the leadership communicated through letters dated May 4.
They also relied on Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 32 of the PDP Constitution, insisting that INEC should implement previous court judgments relating to the party’s internal leadership dispute.
However, the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, challenged the competence of the suit. Led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, the group argued that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the case and maintained that it remained the authentic leadership of the PDP.
The Wike-backed faction also sought to be joined in the proceedings alongside key officials, including Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Kamardeen Ajibade, Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah and George Turner. Justice Ibrahim granted the applications for joinder, holding that the applicants had sufficient interest in the outcome of the matter.
In the substantive judgment, the court upheld the preliminary objections raised by the respondents and struck out the suit, describing it as an abuse of court process. The judge held that the plaintiffs were attempting to reopen issues that had already been determined by competent courts and ruled that the action could not be sustained.
The court also removed the PDP as a plaintiff after finding that those who instituted the suit failed to obtain the party’s authorisation before commencing the legal action. Justice Ibrahim further observed that the reliefs sought had become academic, noting that INEC had already monitored the convention that produced the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led executives.
According to the court, judicial intervention cannot be based on hypothetical questions or requests capable of undermining existing court judgments. The judge also faulted the procedure adopted by the plaintiffs, stating that the case involved disputed facts that could not properly be determined through an Originating Summons.
In addition, the court took judicial notice of previous judgments that nullified the November 2025 Ibadan convention, which produced the Turaki-led executives, reinforcing its decision to dismiss the suit. The ruling represents another legal setback in the prolonged leadership crisis that has continued to divide the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
