PDP BoT Drags INEC to Court, Seeks Recognition of Interim National Working Committee

PDP BoT Drags INEC to Court, Seeks Recognition of Interim National Working Committee
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‎By Linda Toby Jackson
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‎E-ISSN: 2354-4481
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‎The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a fresh legal turn as the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking official recognition of the party's interim National Working Committee (NWC).
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‎The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 before the Federal High Court in Abuja by a legal team led by Chief Chris Uche. The plaintiffs are asking the court to compel INEC to update its official records and publish the names of the interim NWC forwarded by the PDP's BoT and National Executive Committee (NEC).
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‎Among the plaintiffs are former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, BoT Secretary and former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, PDP elder Chief Olabode George, former Ministers Hajiya Maryam Ciroma and Hajiya Zainab Maina, Dame Esther Uduehi, and the Peoples Democratic Party itself. INEC is the sole defendant in the matter.
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‎The legal action follows recent judicial developments surrounding the party's prolonged leadership dispute. On June 3, the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside significant aspects of an earlier Federal High Court judgment delivered in Ibadan, ruling that the trial court granted reliefs that were not sought by any of the parties involved.
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‎In its latest suit, the Wabara-led BoT argues that INEC is constitutionally obligated to implement existing judgments delivered by the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court concerning the PDP's internal leadership structure.
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‎The plaintiffs are seeking declarations that the electoral commission must recognize and give effect to those judgments and accept all official correspondence originating from the interim National Working Committee constituted by the party's BoT and NEC.
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‎In an affidavit supporting the suit, former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu stated that on November 1, 2025, the PDP National Working Committee suspended several key officials, including Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Hon. Umar Bature, Adeyemi Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), and Barrister Okechukwu Osuoha, over allegations of gross misconduct, anti-party activities, and insubordination.
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‎According to Aliyu, the suspensions were approved during the party's 608th National Working Committee meeting and the affected officials were referred to the National Disciplinary Committee for further action. He maintained that the suspended officials neither submitted themselves to the disciplinary process nor obtained any resolution reversing their suspension.
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‎Aliyu further deposed that Senator Anyanwu had earlier been recommended for expulsion by the National Disciplinary Committee, a recommendation subsequently upheld by the party's leadership. He added that Anyanwu later challenged his expulsion at the FCT High Court, which dismissed his claims on the merits.
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‎The affidavit also states that following an emergency meeting on November 5, 2025, the PDP Board of Trustees established a reconciliation committee in preparation for the party's national elective convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025.
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‎However, Aliyu noted that the convention was later nullified through judicial proceedings that progressed from the Federal High Court to the Court of Appeal and ultimately the Supreme Court. According to him, both appellate courts upheld the suspension of the affected party officials while invalidating the convention.
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‎He argued that the nullification of the convention and the affirmation of the suspensions created a leadership vacuum within the party, prompting the Board of Trustees to constitute an interim National Working Committee to oversee PDP affairs pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
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‎The affidavit states that the constitution of the interim NWC was formally communicated to INEC through letters dated May 4, while subsequent correspondence assigning portfolios to members was forwarded on May 15.
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‎Despite receiving the communications, Aliyu alleged that INEC failed to update its records or accord recognition to the interim leadership. He added that additional letters sent through the party's counsel requesting compliance with existing court judgments also failed to produce any response.
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‎Describing the commission's position as inconsistent with the rule of law, Aliyu argued that INEC has a constitutional obligation to comply with valid and subsisting judgments of the appellate courts.
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‎The plaintiffs therefore urge the Federal High Court to direct INEC to recognize the interim National Working Committee and process all official communications relating to the PDP through that body pending the resolution of the party's leadership dispute.
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‎As of the time of filing this report, the suit had not yet been assigned to a judge for hearing.