Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), handing a legal victory to the faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that the suit, filed by the Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) faction of the PDP, lacked merit and upheld preliminary objections raised by INEC and the Wike-backed faction. The judge also granted the application by the Wike-backed group to join the suit, holding that its interests would be directly affected by the outcome of the case.
The plaintiffs, including former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, former Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Jerry Gana, Bode George and other BoT members, had asked the court to direct INEC to publish the composition of the Turaki-led interim NWC on its official website. They argued that the electoral commission was bound by the PDP constitution and previous court judgments to recognise the leadership approved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
However, the court held that the plaintiffs lacked the legal authority to institute the action on behalf of the PDP. Justice Ibrahim also ruled that the case had become academic because the party’s March 2026 national convention, which produced Abdulrahman Mohammed and other executives recognised by the Wike-backed faction, had already been monitored by INEC. He further held that the suit sought to revive issues that had already been settled by previous court decisions.
The court consequently struck out the PDP as the eighth plaintiff, upheld the preliminary objections and dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction. It also awarded N70 million in costs against the plaintiffs in favour of the defendants, while ordering the plaintiffs’ counsel to personally pay an additional N10 million.
