The Peoples Democratic Party has raised concern over the repeated handling of its court cases by a small group of judges at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The party sent a formal petition to the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, expressing discomfort with the frequent assignment of its cases to Justices James Omotosho, Peter Lifu and Mohammed Abdulmalik.
The petition was signed by the party’s National Secretary, Taofeek Arapaja, and stated that both cases filed by the PDP and those brought against it have, for years, been consistently given to the same three judges, despite the presence of other judges in the division. The party said this pattern has created fear and mistrust among its members.
The concern follows recent court rulings that affected the party’s activities. One ruling stopped the party from going ahead with its national elective convention on the grounds that it failed to follow its own rules. Another court order directed the party to suspend the convention process until a former Jigawa State governor was allowed to contest for the position of National Chairman, after he complained of being unfairly excluded.
Despite these orders, the party went ahead with the convention, relying on a separate ruling from a different court. This situation led to conflicting legal directions and deepened divisions within the party. Different groups within the PDP, including those linked to the Governors Forum and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, now claim control of the party’s leadership.
In its petition, the PDP appealed that future cases involving the party should not be assigned to the same three judges. The party stated that while it has respect for the judiciary, justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done. The PDP said it made the request to restore trust and prevent further tension as more cases relating to the party are expected to be filed.
The party concluded by stating that it was not questioning the integrity of the court but was only asking for fair distribution of its cases among other judges in the Abuja division.