The Federal High Court in Abuja will on Friday deliver judgment in the suit filed by the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, seeking recognition of the party’s interim National Working Committee (NWC) headed by Mr. Kabir Turaki (SAN).
Justice Salim Ibrahim is scheduled to deliver the judgment at 4 p.m., following the issuance of hearing notices to all parties involved in the protracted leadership dispute.
The court had reserved judgment on July 7 after lawyers representing the parties adopted their final written addresses and presented arguments for and against the suit.
The Wabara-led BoT is asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize and publish the Turaki-led interim NWC on its official website.
The plaintiffs are also seeking an order directing INEC to update its records to reflect the interim leadership, arguing that the names of the committee members were formally forwarded to the electoral body through letters dated May 4 following decisions of the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by a legal team led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN).
The plaintiffs include Wabara, former Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Chief Olabode George, Hajiya Maryam Ciroma, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Dame Esther Uduehi and the PDP.
However, the faction of the PDP loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, challenged the competence of the suit and the jurisdiction of the court.
During the last hearing, Sunday Ameh (SAN), representing the Wike-backed faction, also announced appearance for the PDP, contending that the party never authorised Chris Uche to institute the suit on its behalf.
The faction subsequently filed a notice of change of counsel and an application seeking to strike out the PDP’s name as the eighth plaintiff.
In addition, the Wike-backed National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, and National Legal Adviser, Kamardeen Ajibade, applied to be joined as defendants in the suit.
Other PDP stakeholders, including former Imo PDP Chairman Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah and George Turner, also sought to be joined in the proceedings.
All the defendants, including INEC, filed preliminary objections and counter-affidavits, urging the court to dismiss the suit.
Opposing the applications, Uche described the motions seeking to remove the PDP as a plaintiff and change legal representation as frivolous and misconceived, urging the court to dismiss them.
The plaintiffs also argued that the matter required urgent determination because INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 general elections set July 17 as the deadline for the submission of candidates’ details.
Justice Ibrahim heard arguments on the applications for joinder, preliminary objections and the substantive suit before reserving judgment, which is expected to determine the next chapter in the PDP’s lingering leadership crisis.
SOURCE: NAN
