PDP Crisis: Court Dismisses Wabara, Others’ Suit Seeking INEC’s Recognition

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday dismissed a suit filed by the Sen. Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking an order for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise its faction.

Justice Salim Ibrahim, in a judgment, described the suit as “an abuse of court process, unmeritorious and lacking in merit.”

Justice Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs had failed to prove any entitlement to the reliefs sought

The judge also agreed with the INEC’s preliminary objection that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case.

Justice Ibrahim, who affirmed the leadership of Mohammed Abdulrahman-led PDP, the faction loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, said: “The preliminary objections filed by all the defendants succeed.”

The judge earlier struck out the name of PDP as the 8th plaintiff from the suit, while agreeing with the Abdulrahman-led argument that the 1st to 7th plaintiffs had no authority to file the case on behalf of the party.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the Wabara-led BoT had filed the fresh suit.

They had sought an order of the court compelling INEC to recognise the PDP interim National Working Committee (NWC)’s faction led by its National Chairman, Kabir Turaki, SAN, on its official website, among others.

They said the names of members of the Kabir Turaki-led NWC were forwarded to the electoral umpire via their letters dated May 4.

The originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on 4 June by a team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN.

The BoT members, who are plaintiffs in the suit, are ex-Senate President Adolphus Wabara; BoT Secretary, former Gov. Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger; ex-Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana and PDP chieftain, Olabode George, as 1st to 4th plaintiffs.

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

They sued INEC as the sole defendant.

But the PDP faction, loyal to the minister of FCT, approached the court and challenged its jurisdiction to hear the suit.