The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Friday, July 10, to deliver judgment in the suit seeking to determine the authentic leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while the Court of Appeal has adjourned hearing in the appeals against the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord and three other political parties until July 14.
Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the date for judgment after listening to arguments from parties in the suit filed by the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and eight others.
The case pits the faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, against the PDP’s Interim National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, Wabara and the other plaintiffs are asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee and upload the names of its members to the commission’s website ahead of the 2027 general election.
The plaintiffs based their case on INEC’s alleged failure to publish the names of the interim NWC members despite the party’s submission.
The dispute follows the Supreme Court’s April judgment, which nullified the PDP’s November 15–16, 2025 national convention held in Ibadan that produced the Turaki-led national executive.
Following that ruling, the Wabara-led Board of Trustees constituted an interim leadership to manage the affairs of the party pending the election of a new national executive.
However, after the tenure of the Ambassador Iliya Damagun-led National Working Committee expired in December 2025, the Wike-backed faction established a separate interim national executive, which later produced Abdulrahman Mohammed as its leadership in March 2026.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja also adjourned hearing in the appeals filed by the ADC, Accord and three other political parties challenging their deregistration by INEC until July 14.
In a separate development, the PDP has dismissed reports claiming that some of its candidates had abandoned the party or withdrawn support for its leadership.
The party described the reports as false, insisting that all its candidates remain in constant communication with the leadership and are regularly updated on developments within the party.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Ememobong, the PDP urged the public, media organisations and journalists to disregard the reports and rely only on information released through the party’s official communication channels.
The party alleged that the rumours were being spread by “ill-wishers and PDP pretenders, who are APC apologists,” with the aim of misleading the public and creating unnecessary confusion.
