Court Fixes Date to Hear Wabara-led PDP BoT Suit Against INEC

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 7 for the hearing of a suit filed by the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the party's interim National Working Committee (NWC).

Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the date on Tuesday after all parties agreed to file and exchange the necessary court processes. 

The judge directed that every pending application, including those filed by parties seeking to be joined in the suit, would be heard alongside the substantive case. He ordered all parties to file and serve their processes on or before July 6, warning that the court would not entertain further delays when the matter comes up again.

The court had earlier, on June 19, granted accelerated hearing of the case after counsel to the plaintiffs, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), argued that the matter was time-bound because of INEC's revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.

At Tuesday's proceedings, Kabir Turaki, who was presented as the National Chairman of the PDP and the eighth plaintiff, as well as Prof. Jerry Gana, were present in court. Uche appeared for all the plaintiffs, while Mr. Sunday Ameh (SAN) represented the PDP. Counsel to INEC, O.A. Adeyemi, Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), and Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), representing parties seeking to join the suit, also announced their appearances.

Addressing the court, Uche said he had responded to all the applications seeking joinder and urged the judge to hear them together with the substantive suit to save time and enable the PDP comply with INEC's electoral timetable.

"The commission had reiterated that its July 11 for the submission of names of candidates is sacrosanct. They said the submission started yesterday and parties have been given access code and we also need the access code too."

He added:

"It is a passionate appeal we are making."

None of the counsel representing INEC, the PDP or the applicants seeking to join the suit opposed the request. Justice Ibrahim subsequently adjourned the matter until July 7 for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.

The suit, filed on June 4 by a team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN), seeks an order directing INEC to recognise the Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee and update its official records to reflect the leadership forwarded to it by the PDP Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee through letters dated May 4.

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to order INEC to recognise all official correspondence from the interim NWC and declare that the electoral commission is constitutionally bound to enforce and give effect to judgments of the FCT High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court relating to the PDP leadership dispute.

The plaintiffs in the suit are former Senate President Adolphus 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 Peoples Democratic Party, while INEC is the sole defendant.

In an affidavit supporting the suit, former Governor Aliyu alleged that key PDP officials, including Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature, Adeyemi Ajibade and Okechukwu Osuoha, were suspended by the party's National Working Committee on November 1, 2025, over alleged gross misconduct, anti-party activities and insubordination. 

He said subsequent judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court affirmed actions taken by the party, including the nullification of the PDP's November 2025 national convention.

According to the plaintiffs, despite being notified of the constitution of the interim NWC and subsequent assignment of portfolios, INEC has failed to update its records or recognise the new leadership, contrary to subsisting court judgments. They contend that the commission's refusal to do so undermines the rule of law and could affect the party's participation in activities leading to the 2027 general elections.

The case follows a June 3 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which set aside key portions of an earlier Federal High Court ruling in Ibadan that recognised a factional PDP caretaker committee, holding that the trial court granted reliefs that were never sought by the parties before it.