Court Set To Hear PDP Leadership Suit On July 7

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has scheduled July 7 for the hearing of pending applications and the substantive suit filed by the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the party’s leadership dispute.

According to Ireporter Online, the suit instituted by the PDP BoT led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara seeks an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the hearing date on Tuesday after all parties agreed to conclude the filing and exchange of outstanding legal processes before the next adjourned date. The court further directed that all processes must be filed and served on or before July 6, warning against any form of delay.

The plaintiffs in the suit include Wabara, former Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Chief Olabode George, and the PDP itself. They are asking the court to mandate INEC to officially recognise the Turaki-led interim NWC, update its records on the party’s leadership, and accept all official communications from the interim leadership structure.

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Gordy Uche (SAN), urged the court to consolidate the hearing of all pending joinder applications with the substantive suit in order to expedite proceedings. He also noted concerns surrounding INEC’s timeline for the submission of candidates, stating that the commission had maintained July 11 as the deadline, with access codes already issued to parties involved.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by a legal team led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN). The plaintiffs allege that INEC failed to recognise the Turaki-led interim leadership despite receiving official correspondence dated May 4 and May 15.

In an affidavit, Babangida Aliyu described INEC’s alleged stance as “a grave affront to the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution.”

Meanwhile, reports indicate that a faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, led by Mohammed Abdulrahman, has been recognised by INEC following a court judgment that nullified the PDP’s November 2025 national convention.