A federal high court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit brought by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to formally recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim national working committee (NWC) of the party.

Justice Salim Ibrahim, who presided over the matter marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, struck out the suit after upholding preliminary objections filed by INEC and the rival PDP faction loyal to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The plaintiffs and what they sought

The suit was instituted by the Adolphus Wabara-led board of trustees (BoT) of the Turaki faction. Wabara, a former Senate president, filed the action alongside former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, ex-Information Minister Jerry Gana, former PDP Deputy National Chairman Olabode George, ex-Women Affairs Ministers Maryam Ciroma and Zainab Maina, BoT member Dame Esther Uduehi, and the PDP itself as the eighth plaintiff.

The plaintiffs urged the court to order INEC to publish the composition of the Turaki-led interim NWC on its official website, as forwarded to the commission by the party's national executive committee (NEC). They also sought a determination of whether INEC was bound to give effect to various court judgements that arose from the leadership dispute within the PDP.

Why the court threw out the case

Justice Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs were attempting to revive matters already resolved by other courts, and that the evidence before him demonstrated they had no authority to bring the action in the PDP's name.

He found that the PDP national convention held in March 2026, which produced Abdulrahman Mohammed as national chairman alongside other executives backed by Wike, was duly monitored by INEC, rendering the suit an academic exercise, The Cable reported.

The judge granted the applications by the Wike-backed faction to be joined to the suit, ruling that its interests would clearly be affected by any outcome. He subsequently struck out the PDP as the eighth plaintiff and dismissed the entire case for want of jurisdiction.

Invoking section 83(6)(b) of the Electoral Act 2026, the court imposed a cost of N70 million against the plaintiffs in favour of the first to seventh defendants and separately ordered the plaintiffs' counsel to pay a personal cost of N10 million, Vanguard reported.

Jonathan's 2027 candidacy in doubt

The dismissal has direct consequences for political decisions previously taken by the Turaki faction. In May 2026, the faction had announced former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, following a special national convention held at the PDP's Area 10, Garki office in Abuja.

With the court declining to compel INEC to recognise the faction's leadership, the standing of those decisions now faces serious legal uncertainty.

INEC's website continues to list Mohammed as the PDP's national chairman.

Just in: Court dismisses Turaki-led PDP suit seeking recognition for lack of merit. pic.twitter.com/bBkJdwB0Sm

— Chude (@Chude_ND1) July 17, 2026