Wabara-led Board of Trustees petitions INEC to acknowledge Turaki as legitimate PDP faction

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 7 for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit filed by the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the party.

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Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the date on Tuesday after the parties agreed to file and exchange all outstanding processes before the next adjourned date.

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The judge directed all parties to file and serve their processes on or before July 6 and warned that no further delay would be entertained when the matter comes up for hearing.

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The PUNCH reports that the court had, on June 19, ordered an accelerated hearing of the suit after counsel for the plaintiffs, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), argued that the case was time-sensitive in view of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general elections.

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The plaintiffs, including Wabara, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, Prof Jerry Gana, Chief Olabode George and the PDP, are asking the court to direct INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim NWC and update the party’s leadership records on its official website.

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They also want the commission to accept all communications from the interim leadership, which they said were forwarded to INEC through letters dated May 4.

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At Tuesday’s proceedings, Uche urged the court to hear all pending joinder applications alongside the substantive suit to save judicial time and enable his clients to comply with INEC’s electoral timetable.

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He said, “The commission has reiterated that its July 11 deadline for the submission of names of candidates is sacrosanct.

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“They said the submission started yesterday, and parties have been given the access code, and we also need the access code.”

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Describing the request as “a passionate appeal,” Uche urged other counsel not to oppose the application.

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Counsel for the PDP, Sunday Ameh (SAN), counsel for INEC, O.A. Adeyemi, Chief Fedinard Orbih (SAN), representing parties seeking to be joined, and Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), appearing for another set of applicants, raised no objection.

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Justice Ibrahim thereafter adjourned the case until July 7 for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.

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The PUNCH reports that the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN).

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The plaintiffs are seeking declarations that INEC is constitutionally bound to give effect to judgments of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, which they contend invalidated the PDP’s November 2025 national convention and upheld the suspension of key party officials.

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In an affidavit supporting the suit, Aliyu alleged that National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and three other party officials were suspended by the PDP NWC on November 1, 2025, for alleged gross misconduct, anti-party activities and insubordination.

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He further claimed that subsequent decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court affirmed the suspension of the affected officials and nullified the party’s November 15 and 16, 2025, national convention.

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According to him, following those judgments, the PDP BoT constituted an interim NWC led by Turaki, pending the conduct of a fresh national convention, and formally notified INEC of the development through letters dated May 4 and May 15.

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Aliyu alleged that despite receiving the correspondence, the electoral commission failed to update its records or recognise the interim leadership.

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He described INEC’s refusal as “a grave affront to the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution,” urging the court to compel the commission to comply with what he described as subsisting appellate court judgments.

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A faction of the party loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and led by Mohammed Abdulrahman, has been recognised by INEC following the court judgment that nullified the November 15 convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

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The faction subsequently took over the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja and conducted its primaries in the presence of INEC officials.

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The Abdulrahman-led PDP has also presented certificates of return to its candidates, who have commenced the completion of their INEC forms for the upload of their details to the commission’s portal.

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