Key Takeaways
- The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- The suit sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the Tanimu Turaki-led leadership of the party
- The court held that the suit was an abuse of court process and struck out the name of the PDP from the suit for lack of authorization
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday declined to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the Senator Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Salim Ibrahim, dismissed the suit which sought to validate all actions taken on behalf of the party by the Tanimu Turaki, SAN-led leadership of the party.
Members of the Wabara-led BoT filed the suit to compel INEC to update its database by acknowledging the factional interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Turaki, SAN. The plaintiffs further sought an order directing the electoral umpire to forthwith publish on its official website the interim NWC of the party as forwarded to it by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The plaintiffs, who included former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, and other prominent members of the party, urged the court to determine whether INEC was bound to give effect to various courts’ judgments relating to the leadership crisis rocking the PDP. However, the faction of the party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, approached the court to challenge its jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Background of the Case
The Wike-backed group maintained that the court lacked the requisite jurisdiction to grant the prayers of the plaintiffs, who they said lacked the locus standi (legal right) to institute the action. The group, which insisted that it is the authentic leadership of the PDP, also applied to be joined as an interested party in the case.
The court, in a ruling delivered before the judgment, held that the joinder applications were meritorious, as the interests of the applicants would be affected by the outcome of the suit. However, the court ultimately upheld the preliminary objections and struck out the suit for want of jurisdiction.
Implications of the Ruling
The court held that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process, accusing the plaintiffs of attempting to use the suit to resurrect issues already decided by various courts. The court also struck out the name of the PDP from the suit, stressing that the evidence before it established that the plaintiffs did not have the authorization to institute the action in the name of the party.
Why This Matters
The dismissal of the suit is significant as it reinforces the **status quo** in the PDP leadership crisis, with the Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed-led faction remaining the recognized leadership of the party. The ruling also highlights the importance of internal party processes and the need for **aggrieved members** to exhaust all avenues before seeking judicial intervention.