Suliat Lawal
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday imposed a N140 million cost on the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara for filing what it described as a frivolous suit over the party’s leadership crisis.
The court also ordered the plaintiffs’ counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), to personally pay N10 million for instituting the action, warning against the growing trend of filing meritless cases on matters relating to the internal affairs of political parties.
Justice Salim Ibrahim, who delivered the judgment, held that the monetary sanctions were in line with the provisions of Section 83(6)(b) of the Electoral Act, 2026, agreeing with the defendants that “cost follows the event.”
The judge said the suit amounted to an abuse of court process and lacked merit.
The Wabara-led Board of Trustees had approached the court seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the Kabir Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the PDP.
The suit was filed by Wabara alongside former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Chief Bode George, Maryam Ciroma, Zainab Maina, Dame Esther Uduehi and the PDP.
During the proceedings, the PDP faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, challenged the suit, arguing that the party never authorised the action and that the Board of Trustees lacked the legal authority to institute it on the PDP’s behalf.
In his judgment, Justice Ibrahim struck out the PDP as a plaintiff, holding that the party was improperly joined in the suit because the Board of Trustees lacked the authority to sue in its name.
The court subsequently upheld the preliminary objections filed by INEC and the Wike-backed PDP leadership, ruling that the matter related to the internal affairs of a political party and was therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Justice Ibrahim also affirmed that previous judgments recognising the Mohammed Abdulrahman-led PDP leadership remain valid and binding, adding that the plaintiffs failed to establish any legal basis for the reliefs sought.
The court consequently dismissed the suit in its entirety while ordering the plaintiffs to pay N140 million in costs and their counsel N10 million as a deterrent against frivolous litigation.
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