Abuja Court Dismisses PDP Leadership Suit Against INEC

A Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a lawsuit filed by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize an interim National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabir Turaki. The plaintiffs, led by PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara, argued that recognition was urgent due to a July 17 deadline for uploading candidate names for the 2027 general elections.

Justice Salim Ibrahim struck out the suit, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing and failed to prove that INEC had a legal obligation to recognize the Turaki-led body. The court characterized the action as an abuse of process, noting that the suit attempted to relitigate settled issues and that the Ibadan convention which produced the Turaki-led executives had been previously nullified. The judge observed that INEC had already monitored the convention that produced the leadership of National Chairman Khalid Abdulrahman, who is aligned with Nyesom Wike.

To discourage frivolous political litigation, the court awarded costs against the plaintiffs. While reports on the exact amount vary, sources cite costs of either N10 million or N70 million against the plaintiffs, with one report specifying an additional N10 million to be paid personally by the filing counsel.