A Federal High Court in Abuja has thrown out a lawsuit that aimed to force the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize and publish the names of the PDP’s interim National Working Committee, which is the Turaki led PDP faction.
In his Friday ruling, Justice Salim Ibrahim dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, stating that the plaintiffs, led by PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, lacked the legal standing to file the lawsuit.
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered judgement, ruling that the plaintiffs, led by PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara, lacked legal capacity to file the complaint. As a result, he dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction.
The court sustained the preliminary objections raised by INEC and other parties, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to prove either that INEC recognized the interim National Working Committee or that they had the legal authority to sue on behalf of the PDP.
The plaintiffs stated that they sent the names of the Turaki-led executive members to INEC in letters dated May 4. They also argued that constitutional guidelines and the PDP Constitution required the electoral umpire to accept and act on any correspondence from the interim leadership.
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Backstory…
This ruling marks the latest development in the Peoples Democratic Party’s ongoing leadership crisis, which has deeply fractured the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general election.
The dispute intensified after the Supreme Court invalidated the party’s disputed national convention, prompting the Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, to back an interim National Working Committee of the Turaki PDP faction
However, rival factions within the party rejected the arrangement, leading to a series of legal battles over which leadership should be recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The uncertainty has complicated the PDP’s efforts to rebuild after its defeat in the 2023 presidential election, even as key figures—including FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and other influential stakeholders—continue to back rival blocs within the party.
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