A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 7 for the hearing of a suit filed by the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the party’s interim National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabir Turaki (SAN).
Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the date on Tuesday after directing all parties to file and exchange their outstanding court processes before the next sitting. The court also ruled that all pending applications, alongside the substantive suit, would be heard together to expedite proceedings.
The judge ordered parties to conclude the filing and service of all processes by July 6, warning that no further delays would be tolerated.
The latest development follows an earlier order made by Justice Ibrahim on June 19, granting accelerated hearing in the matter after counsel to the plaintiffs, Gordy Uche (SAN), argued that the case was time-sensitive.
Uche had told the court that the urgency was necessitated by INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, which sets July 17 as a critical deadline for political parties to comply with certain pre-election requirements.
The suit was instituted by members of the Wabara-led BoT and the PDP, who are asking the court to order INEC to recognise and publish the Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee on the electoral body’s official website.
The plaintiffs contend that the commission’s refusal to accord recognition to the interim leadership could adversely affect the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Among the plaintiffs are former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, BoT Secretary and former Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, former Minister of Information Prof. Jerry Gana, PDP chieftain Chief Olabode George, former ministers Maryam Ciroma and Zainab Maina, as well as BoT and National Executive Committee member Dame Esther Uduehi. The PDP is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit.
The case is the latest in a series of legal battles arising from the PDP’s protracted leadership crisis, which has intensified ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party has in recent months been embroiled in disputes over the composition of its National Working Committee, the authority of its various organs and the legitimacy of decisions taken by rival factions, with several matters already pending before different courts.
The outcome of the suit is expected to determine which leadership structure INEC will officially recognise for electoral purposes as the opposition party seeks to resolve its internal divisions ahead of key deadlines in the electoral calendar