Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday struck out a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that those who filed the case did not have the legal authority to bring the action before the court, leaving the court without jurisdiction to hear the matter.
The suit was filed by the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara, alongside several members of the board and other party stakeholders. They wanted the court to direct INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim leadership, update the names of its members on the commission’s website and accept all official communications from the body.
The plaintiffs based their request on earlier court decisions, arguing that INEC was expected to act in line with those judgments. They maintained that the electoral commission had a constitutional duty to recognise the interim leadership and give effect to its decisions.
After reviewing the case, the court held that the applicants failed to prove that INEC was under any legal obligation to recognise the Turaki-led committee. The judge also found that no evidence was presented to show that the electoral commission had previously accepted the interim leadership or that any valid court order directed it to do so.
The court further ruled that the Supreme Court judgment relied upon by the plaintiffs did not compel INEC to recognise the Turaki-led National Working Committee. It also held that the applicants failed to establish that the interim body was the lawful leadership of the PDP for dealings with the electoral commission.
Before reaching its final decision, the court granted requests by members of the PDP leadership backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to join the suit as defendants. The court also approved separate applications by other party members who argued that the outcome of the case would affect their interests.
Justice Ibrahim later upheld the preliminary objections raised by INEC and the newly joined defendants. He ruled that the issues presented had already been addressed in another case and could not be reopened through fresh proceedings. The judge concluded that the court lacked the jurisdiction to determine the suit and struck it out in its entirety.
The court also removed the PDP as the eighth plaintiff after granting an application seeking its withdrawal from the case.
In addition, Justice Ibrahim awarded N10 million in costs against the plaintiffs in favour of the defendants. The court directed the lawyer who filed the case to personally pay the amount, stating that the order was intended to discourage unnecessary political litigation involving internal party disputes.
The judgment is a setback for the Wabara-led Board of Trustees, which had sought judicial backing for the recognition of the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee.
The case is one of several legal battles arising from the prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP, where different factions continue to contest control of the party’s National Working Committee.