By Ruth Eke
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal by the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the factional leadership of the party.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision delivered by a three-member panel on Wednesday, upheld the July 17 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dismissed the suit filed by the Wabara-led group.
In its lead judgment, Justice R. O. Ayoola held that the appellants lacked the legal authority to institute the case on behalf of the PDP.
The court consequently struck out the party’s name from the appeal, describing the case as academic and an abuse of court process.
The appeal sought to validate actions taken by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP, including a national convention that produced its factional executives. The group had also announced former President Goodluck Jonathan as its consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The appellate court resolved all nine issues raised in the appeal against the appellants and declined to set aside the N70 million costs earlier awarded against them by the lower court.
It further awarded an additional N5 million each to the first respondent, the second to fourth respondents jointly, and the fifth to seventh respondents jointly.
Justice Ayoola consequently affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, dismissing the originating summons and upholding the orders made in the case.
The Wabara-led group had approached the Federal High Court to compel INEC to update its records to recognise the interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Turaki.
The plaintiffs also wanted the electoral commission to publish the names of the interim national executives on its official website, claiming that the list had been forwarded to INEC through letters dated May 4.
Among those who instituted the suit were former Senate President Wabara, former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, and PDP chieftain Olabode George.
Others included former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Maryam Ciroma; Hajiya Zainab Maina; and Dame Esther Uduehi, alongside the PDP.
However, the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, challenged the suit, arguing that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the action.
The group, led by its National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, also maintained that it was the authentic leadership of the party and sought to be joined in the proceedings.
Other members of the faction who applied to be joined included National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; National Legal Adviser, Kamardeen Ajibade; former Imo State PDP Chairman, Austin Nwachukwu; Abraham Amah; and George Turner.
The Mohammed-led faction argued that it emerged from a party convention held between March 29 and 30, while insisting that the court should strike out the PDP’s name from the suit because the party had not authorised the action.
INEC and the other defendants also filed preliminary objections and counter-affidavits, asking the court to dismiss the case.
In its ruling, the Federal High Court granted the applications for joinder, holding that the applicants had sufficient interests in the outcome of the proceedings.
Delivering its judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim held that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process and an attempt to reopen matters that had already been determined by other courts.
The judge further held that the plaintiffs were seeking orders that could undermine existing judgments relating to the PDP leadership crisis.
The lower court also noted that INEC had monitored the convention that produced the Mohammed-led executives, while previous judgments had nullified the PDP convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, which produced the Turaki-led executives.
It consequently ruled that the plaintiffs failed to establish that the interim committee had the legal authority to communicate with INEC on behalf of the party.
The court dismissed the suit for want of jurisdiction and imposed N70 million in costs against the plaintiffs in favour of the first to seventh defendants. It also ordered their counsel to personally pay N10 million.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the Wabara-led group approached the Court of Appeal but failed to secure a reversal of the lower court’s judgment.
