In Abuja, on Wednesday, January 15, 2026, the Federal High Court fixed January 23 to hear an application by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party asking the court to stop further action in a case filed by a rival group linked to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. The request was made to allow issues raised on appeal and other pending motions to be resolved before the main case continues.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to give lawyers representing the Wike-aligned group time to respond to the application seeking a pause in proceedings. The suit before the court was brought by the Wike faction through its acting national chairman and factional national secretary. They are asking the court to stop the Turaki-led leadership from presenting itself as the party’s lawful national leadership.
The plaintiffs also want security agencies barred from granting the Turaki group access to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. They further asked the court to stop the electoral commission from accepting any new office address submitted by the Turaki faction and to insist that earlier court decisions on the party’s leadership dispute be obeyed by relevant authorities.
Earlier in the case, the court issued an order stopping all parties from taking steps that could affect the matter until it is decided. Following that order, the Turaki-led faction approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling and also filed motions asking the trial court to suspend proceedings and for the presiding judge to step aside over claims of bias.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the Wike faction told the court that all applications could be handled alongside the main case and stated that his clients were ready to move forward. In response, the lawyer for the Turaki faction informed the court that the appeal had already been entered at the Court of Appeal, arguing that the trial court should not continue once an appeal is properly before a higher court.
The Wike faction’s lawyer disagreed, saying an appeal against a preliminary ruling does not by itself stop a trial from going on. The judge then asked whether the application seeking a pause had been served, and after confirmation, directed that a formal response be filed before the next hearing date.
Outside the courtroom, a spokesperson of the PDP caretaker body expressed confidence that the court would grant the request to halt proceedings. He said previous court judgments had already restrained certain party activities, but some members ignored them, leading to the current dispute. He added that the case is mainly about stopping individuals who are not legally recognised from acting as national officers of the party.
CLICK THE LINK TO READ FULL LIST
- Advertisement -
Comments are closed.