Wabara-Led PDP BoT Fined N140m for Filing ‘Frivolous’ Suit Against INEC

A Federal High Court in Abuja has slammed a N140 million fine on the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara for instituting what it described as a frivolous suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Salim Ibrahim dismissed the suit in its entirety, ruling that it lacked merit and amounted to an abuse of court process.

The case was filed by members of the Wabara-led BoT, who sought to compel INEC to recognise the PDP faction led by Kabiru Turaki as the party’s legitimate National Working Committee (NWC).

The plaintiffs had argued that the names of officials in the Turaki-led interim NWC were forwarded to INEC through letters dated May 4 and should be reflected on the commission’s official records.

However, the court rejected the request and held that the dispute was purely an internal matter of the PDP, which falls outside the jurisdiction of the court.

Justice Ibrahim further ruled that the plaintiffs failed to establish any legal basis for the reliefs they sought.

The court awarded N140 million in costs against the plaintiffs, stating that the sanction was consistent with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 aimed at discouraging baseless litigation.

The judge also ordered lead counsel to the plaintiffs, Chris Uche (SAN), to personally pay N10 million. According to the court, the order was necessary to discourage the filing of suits that have no legal foundation, particularly in matters relating to the internal administration of political parties.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 by a legal team led by Uche.

Among the plaintiffs were Wabara, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, PDP founding member Jerry Gana, party chieftain Bode George, former ministers Maryam Ciroma and Zainab Maina, as well as Esther Uduehi.

During proceedings, the case took a dramatic turn when another lawyer, Sunday Ameh, appeared on behalf of the PDP and challenged the inclusion of the party as a plaintiff.

Ameh argued that the PDP never authorised the filing of the suit and therefore could not be listed among the plaintiffs.

He subsequently filed a motion seeking the removal of the party’s name from the case and also notified the court of a change of counsel.

The application was strongly opposed by Uche, who urged the court to dismiss it.

In his judgment, Justice Ibrahim agreed with Ameh’s submissions and struck out the PDP as the eighth plaintiff in the matter.

The court held that the Wabara-led BoT members lacked the authority to institute legal action in the name of the party.

Justice Ibrahim also granted requests by key members of the rival PDP leadership to be joined in the suit.

Those joined as defendants include National Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and National Legal Adviser Kamardeen Ajibade.

Others are Imo PDP Chairman Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah and George Turner.

The court upheld the preliminary objections filed by INEC and the newly joined defendants, agreeing that the matter revolved around the internal affairs of the PDP.

Justice Ibrahim maintained that courts have consistently held that leadership disputes within political parties are largely internal matters unless there is a clear violation of constitutional or statutory provisions.

The judge also noted that previous judgments had already settled the leadership question within the party.

He referred to earlier decisions, including one that recognised the Abdulrahman-led leadership and granted it access to the PDP national secretariat.

According to the court, those decisions remain valid and binding because they have not been overturned by any higher court.

Justice Ibrahim further held that the March convention which produced the current leadership recognised by the Abdulrahman faction was conducted pursuant to existing court orders.

He ruled that the fresh suit was effectively an attempt to reopen issues that had already been decided by competent courts.

The court therefore declined all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs and affirmed the leadership structure currently recognised within the party.

The ruling represents another major setback for the Wabara and Turaki-backed faction as the PDP continues to battle internal divisions ahead of future political contests.