By Taiye Agbaje
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday fixed July 7 for definite hearing in a suit filed by Sen. Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Salim Ibrahim, who fixed the date to allow all parties to file and respond to processes served on them, held that all pending applications and substantive suits would be taken together on the adjourned date.
Justice Ibrahim also ordered all the parties to file and serve their processes as agreed by July 6.
The judge, who held that the court would not entertain any further delay in the proceedings on the next adjourned date, adjourned the matter until July 7 to hear all applications, including the substantive suit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Ibrahim ordered an accelerated hearing in the case on June 19.
The judge gave the order after counsel to the plaintiffs, Chief Gordy Uche, SAN, informed the court that the suit is time-bound, based on INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, which set July 17 as the ultimatum.
Members of the Wabara-led BoT and the PDP had filed the fresh suit seeking an order of the court compelling INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim National Working Committee (NWC) of the party on its official website.
The plaintiffs also sought an order directing the electoral umpire to update its records forthwith and to publish on its official website the interim NWC of the party, as forwarded to it by the plaintiffs and the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
They said the names of members of the Kabir Turaki-led NWC were forwarded to the electoral umpire via their letters dated May 4.
NAN reports that the originating summons, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by a team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche, SAN.
The BoT members, who are plaintiffs in the suit, are ex-Senate President Adolphus Wabara; BoT Secretary, former Gov. Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger; ex-Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana; and PDP chieftain, Olabode George, as 1st to 4th plaintiffs.
Others include former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Maryam Ciroma; ex-Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina; member of BoT and NEC, Dame Esther Uduehi; and PDP as the 5th to 8th plaintiffs, respectively.
They sued INEC as the sole defendant.
On Tuesday’s proceedings, Mr Turaki, who is the National Chairman of PDP (8th plaintiff), and Prof. Jerry Gana (3rd plaintiff) were in court.
When the case was called, Gordy Uche, SAN, announced his appearance for all the plaintiffs, while Mr Sunday Ameh, SAN, also announced his appearance for the 8th plaintiff (PDP).
Addressing the court, Uche informed the court that on the last adjourned date, he was ready for the hearing of the matter when he was confronted with applications by parties seeking to be joined in the case.
He said he had responded to the applications accordingly and was ready for the hearing of the suit.
Uche, therefore, applied that all the applications, including their substantive suit, should be taken together and a ruling and judgment delivered.
He said this would save judicial time and enable his clients to meet INEC’s timetable for submitting candidate names for the 2027 elections.
The lawyer said that the commission had reiterated that its “July 11 for the submission of names of candidates is sacrosanct.”
“They said the submission started yesterday and parties have been given an access code, and we also need the access code,” Uche said.
He therefore prayed the court to grant his application and appealed to lawyers and other parties to reason with him as well.
“It is a passionate appeal we are making,” he said.
Ameh, who also appeared for the 8th plaintiff; O. A. Adeyemi, counsel for INEC; Chief Fedinard Orbih, SAN, who represented parties seeking to be joined as 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants; and Adedayo Adedeji, SAN, who also appeared for applicants seeking to join as defendants, did not oppose Uche’s application.
Justice Ibrahim consequently adjourned the matter until July 7 for the hearing of all applications and the substantive suit.
NAN reports that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had, on June 3, set aside key aspects of a judgement by the Ibadan Federal High Court that recognised a factional caretaker committee in the PDP.
The appellate court held that the trial court granted reliefs that were never sought by any of the parties to the suit.
Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, in a unanimous judgment, faulted Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, for going beyond the issues placed before the court in a dispute arising from the PDP leadership crisis.
Justice Agomoh had, in a judgment delivered on January 30, recognised the caretaker committee led by Abdurahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu of Nyesom Wike’s camp as the legitimate leadership faction of the party.
However, the Court of Appeal held that none of the parties before the lower court had sought such a declaration.
Meanwhile, the Wabara-led BoT of the PDP, in the suit filed on June 4, sought a declaration that INEC was constitutionally bound to enforce and give full effect to the decision of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in a suit between Sen. Sameul Anyanwu vs Amb. Umar Damagun and eight others delivered on January 12.
They sought a declaration that the commission is also bound by the decisions in the appeal between PDP and two others. Austine Nwachukwu and eight others.
The appeal was delivered on March 9, and the appeal numbers are SC/CV/164/2026, between PDP Vs Alhaji Sule Lamido and four others, and SC/CV/166/2026, between PDP and two others Vs Hon Austine Nwachukwu and eight others, both delivered on April 30.
