Court Fixes July 7 Hearing in Suit Seeking INEC Recognition for Turaki-led PDP Leadership

A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled July 7 to hear a suit filed by the Board of Trustees 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 Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the party.

Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the hearing date on Tuesday after all parties agreed to exchange their outstanding court processes before the next sitting.

The judge directed the parties to file and serve every pending application by July 6, warning that no further adjournment would be granted when the matter comes up for hearing.

The court had earlier, on June 19, granted an accelerated hearing following submissions by counsel to the plaintiffs, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), who argued that the case required urgent determination because of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general elections.

The plaintiffs include Wabara, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Chief Olabode George and the PDP.

They are asking the court to direct INEC to recognise the interim National Working Committee headed by Kabir Turaki, update the party’s leadership records on the commission’s official website and accept all official correspondence sent by the interim leadership through letters dated May 4.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Uche urged the court to hear the substantive suit together with all pending applications seeking to join the case, arguing that such an approach would save judicial time and enable the party to comply with INEC’s electoral schedule.

He said, “The commission has reiterated that its July 11 deadline for the submission of names of candidates is sacrosanct.

“They said the submission started yesterday, and parties have been given the access code, and we also need the access code.”

Describing his request as “a passionate appeal,” the senior lawyer urged other parties not to oppose the application.

Counsel representing the PDP, Sunday Ameh (SAN), INEC’s lawyer, O.A. Adeyemi, Chief Fedinard Orbih (SAN), who appeared for parties seeking to be joined, and Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), representing another set of applicants, all indicated that they had no objection.

Following the agreement, Justice Ibrahim adjourned the matter until July 7 for the hearing of both the substantive suit and all pending applications.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was instituted on June 4 by a legal team led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN).

In the suit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that INEC is constitutionally required to give effect to judgments of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, which they contend nullified the PDP’s November 2025 national convention and upheld the suspension of certain party officials.

In an affidavit supporting the action, Babangida Aliyu alleged that National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and three other members of the party were suspended by the PDP National Working Committee on November 1, 2025, over allegations of gross misconduct, anti-party activities and insubordination.

Aliyu further claimed that subsequent judgments delivered by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court affirmed the suspensions and invalidated the party’s national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.

He stated that following those decisions, the PDP Board of Trustees constituted an interim National Working Committee headed by Kabir Turaki pending the conduct of another national convention and formally notified INEC through letters dated May 4 and May 15.

According to him, despite receiving the notifications, the electoral commission has neither updated its records nor recognised the interim leadership.

Aliyu described INEC’s position as “a grave affront to the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution,” urging the court to compel the commission to comply with what he described as binding appellate court decisions.

Meanwhile, a rival faction of the PDP aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman, has already been recognised by INEC following the judgment that nullified the party’s November 15 convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

That faction has since taken control of the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja, conducted its party primaries in the presence of INEC officials and presented certificates of return to its candidates, who have commenced uploading their details to the electoral commission’s portal.