Court strikes out suit seeking recognition of Turaki-led PDP

A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday struck out a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish the names of the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Delivering judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs, led by PDP Board of […]

A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday struck out a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish the names of the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Delivering judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs, led by PDP Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara, lacked the legal standing to institute the suit.

Justice Ibrahim consequently struck it out for want of jurisdiction.

The court upheld the preliminary objection filed by INEC and sustained similar objections raised by parties seeking to be joined in the matter.

It ruled that the plaintiffs failed to establish that INEC had recognised the purported interim NWC or that they possessed the authority to sue on behalf of the PDP.

Members of the Wabara-led Board of Trustees had approached the court to compel INEC to update its records and recognise the factional interim NWC headed by Kabiru Turaki (SAN).

They also sought an order directing the electoral commission to publish the names of the interim executives on its official website.

The plaintiffs argued that the names of members of the Turaki-led executive were forwarded to INEC through letters dated May 4.

They further contended that, based on constitutional provisions and the PDP Constitution, the electoral body was obligated to recognise and act on correspondence from the interim leadership.

However, a faction of the party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, challenged the court’s jurisdiction and sought to be joined in the case. The group, led by its National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, maintained that it represented the authentic leadership of the PDP and argued that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to institute the action.

In a ruling delivered before the substantive judgment, Justice Ibrahim granted the joinder applications, holding that the interests of the applicants would be affected by the outcome of the suit.

The court subsequently upheld all preliminary objections and struck out the case, describing it as an abuse of court process. Justice Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs were attempting to relitigate issues that had already been determined by various courts.

The court also struck out the PDP’s name from the suit, holding that the plaintiffs lacked the party’s authorisation to institute the action in its name.