PDP Crisis Deepens As Court Sets Friday For Key Ruling

The Federal High Court in Abuja is set to deliver judgment on Friday in a suit seeking recognition for the Senator Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), amid the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.

According to Ireporter Online, Justice Salim Ibrahim will deliver the judgment at 4pm after parties involved in the dispute were formally notified of the hearing date.

The judge had earlier reserved judgment on July 7 after lawyers representing the various sides adopted their written submissions and presented arguments for and against the suit.

The case was instituted by members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, who are aligned with the Turaki-led interim NWC. The plaintiffs are asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the interim leadership and update its official records.

They also want INEC to publish the names of the interim NWC members forwarded to the commission by the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC), arguing that the names were submitted through letters dated May 4.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by a legal team led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN.

Among the plaintiffs are Wabara, PDP BoT Secretary Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, PDP chieftain Olabode George, former Women Affairs Ministers Maryam Ciroma and Zainab Maina, Esther Uduehi, and the PDP itself.

INEC was listed as the sole defendant in the case.

However, the faction of the party linked to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, opposed the suit, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the matter. The faction also sought to be joined as additional defendants alongside other PDP stakeholders.

Counsel representing the opposing parties argued that the case should be dismissed, claiming that the PDP did not authorise the legal action in its name. They also requested that the party’s name be removed from the suit.

The plaintiffs, however, rejected the objections, describing them as lacking merit and urging the court to dismiss the applications.

They argued that the matter required urgent attention due to INEC’s electoral timetable for the 2027 general elections, particularly the deadline for political parties to submit their candidates’ details.

The court’s decision on Friday is expected to determine whether INEC will recognise and publish the Turaki-led interim NWC or uphold the objections raised by the Wike-backed faction, potentially shaping the direction of the PDP’s leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.