By John Azu
A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish the names of the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice Salim Ibrahim, in a ruling delivered on Friday, held that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the action and consequently struck out the suit for want of jurisdiction.
The court upheld the preliminary objection filed by INEC and sustained similar objections raised by parties seeking to be joined in the case, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to establish that INEC had recognised the purported interim NWC or that they possessed the authority to institute the suit on behalf of the PDP.
Justice Ibrahim also awarded N10 million in costs against the Board of Trustees (BoT) led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara.
“The counsel on record that filed this matter is also to do the needful, and pay N10 million costs,” the judge said.
He added:
“This shall be, according to the Electoral Act, to ensure that frivolous applications are not filed by counsels and litigants, because this is purely an internal affair of the political party, as ruled by this honourable court, and I stand by that.”
The suit was instituted by the PDP Board of Trustees through its counsel, Gordy Uche (SAN), who urged the court to hear the matter expeditiously in view of INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.
The plaintiffs had sought an order compelling INEC to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee and publish its names on the commission’s official website.
Among those listed as plaintiffs were BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara; BoT Secretary and former Governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu; former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana; and PDP chieftain, Chief Olabode George.
Also joined in the suit were former ministers Maryam Ciroma and Zainab Maina, BoT and National Executive Committee member Dame Esther Uduehi, as well as the Peoples Democratic Party.
The ruling marks another judicial pronouncement reinforcing the long-standing position of Nigerian courts that disputes over the internal leadership and management of political parties are, except in limited circumstances provided by law, internal affairs that are generally not justiciable. It also comes as the PDP continues to grapple with leadership disagreements ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.