The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1221/2026, was filed by Senator Adolphus Wabara and seven others against INEC and six other respondents.
A three-member panel presided over by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, with Justices Laja Balogun and Ruquayat Oremei Ayoola, delivered the decision on Wednesday.
The appellants had asked the appellate court to set aside an earlier Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Salim, which refused to compel INEC to recognise the Interim National Working Committee led by Kabiru Turaki.
The interim committee was constituted following a National Executive Committee meeting held after a Supreme Court judgment in the party’s leadership dispute.
However, the Court of Appeal upheld the Federal High Court’s decision in its entirety and dismissed the appeal.
PDP faction plans Supreme Court challenge
Reacting to the judgment, the National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, said the group respected the decision but intended to challenge it before the Supreme Court.
In a statement issued through the party’s communication channels, Ememobong disclosed that the group had instructed its lawyers to commence the process of appealing the judgment.
The group maintained that it would continue pursuing what it described as justice through the judicial process.
Implications for the PDP leadership dispute
The latest ruling represents another development in the prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP, which has been characterised by competing claims over the party’s national leadership and organisational structures.
The dispute has also raised questions about the role of INEC in recognising party leadership structures and the extent to which internal party decisions can be subjected to judicial review.
With the group indicating its intention to approach the Supreme Court, the legal dispute may continue, subject to the filing and determination of any further appeal.
The latest decision does not end the wider political contest within the PDP. It is, however, a significant judicial development in the ongoing disagreement over the party’s interim national leadership.
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LegalLinkz will continue to follow the court proceedings and their implications for political party administration and electoral regulation.
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