By Ayo Kehinde
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, has instituted a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking judicial intervention to compel the electoral body to recognise and accord legitimacy to the party’s interim National Working Committee (NWC).
Marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026 and filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 4, 2026, the plaintiffs are requesting the court to direct the electoral commission to update its records and publish on its official website the names of members of the interim NWC, which they said had already been forwarded to the commission by both the PDP BoT and the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The plaintiffs in the suit include Wabara, former Niger State Governor, Muazu 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 member Esther Uduehi.
The legal action represents the latest development in the prolonged internal leadership crisis that has continued to threaten cohesion within Nigeria’s main opposition party and generated multiple legal battles over the control and direction of the PDP.
The suit also comes barely days after the Court of Appeal overturned significant portions of a judgment earlier delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, which had recognised a factional caretaker committee within the party.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on June 3, the appellate court held that the lower court exceeded its jurisdiction by granting relief that was neither sought nor canvassed by the parties involved in the dispute.
The appellate court ruled that the trial court went beyond issues submitted before it for determination in the matter arising from the PDP’s lingering leadership tussle.
The plaintiffs are seeking declarations that INEC is constitutionally bound to recognise, enforce, and give effect to valid and subsisting judicial pronouncements, including judgments delivered by the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court relating to the PDP leadership dispute.
They are further asking the court to direct INEC to accept and act on all official notices, communications, and engagements emanating from the Turaki-led interim NWC constituted by the PDP BoT and NEC.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Aliyu stated that the PDP’s internal crisis deepened following disciplinary measures taken against several party officials in November 2025.
According to him, some key members of the party leadership, including former National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, were suspended by the party’s National Working Committee over allegations of misconduct, anti-party activities, and insubordination.
Aliyu maintained that the disciplinary actions were subsequently affirmed through court proceedings, while other judicial decisions invalidated the PDP national convention conducted in November 2025.
He argued that the court rulings effectively created vacancies in the party’s leadership structure, thereby necessitating urgent intervention by party stakeholders to prevent an administrative vacuum.
Aliyu explained that following the development, the Board of Trustees moved to establish an interim National Working Committee under Turaki to manage the affairs of the party pending the conduct of a fresh and valid national convention.
He further informed the court that details of the interim leadership structure and subsequent allocation of responsibilities among its members were formally communicated to INEC through letters transmitted to the commission in May 2026.
Aliyu alleged that despite receiving the correspondence, the electoral body had failed to update its records or recognise the committee as the party’s legitimate leadership structure.
The former governor argued that INEC has a constitutional responsibility to obey valid and subsisting judicial pronouncements and cannot ignore decisions of competent courts regarding leadership matters affecting political parties.
He urged the court to compel the electoral commission to comply with its legal obligations by recognising and engaging with the interim leadership arrangement.
As of the time of filing this report, the suit had yet to be assigned to a judge for hearing.
