Abuja: A Federal High Court has adjourned hearing in the suit filed by former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership tussle, while dismissing a separate case brought by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik postponed the case because the Turaki-led PDP appealed the court’s order for all parties to pause actions until the main case is heard.
A faction of the party in the camp of the FCT minister, led by its acting National Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, had filed the suit.
In the suit, the PDP (the party), Abdulrahman, and Sen. Sameul Anyanwu (the factional National Secretary), had prayed the court to stop the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from allowing the Turaki-led leadership group (the 5th to 25th defendants) access to the party’s national secretariat at Wadara Plaza in Abuja.
They also sought an injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting any other office address from the Turaki-led leadership as the PDP’s office address, except as already listed in the commission’s records.
They sought an injunction restraining the Turaki leadership (the 5th to 25th defendants, who claim to represent the PDP) from parading themselves as PDP representatives in any capacity whatsoever, among other reliefs.
Justice Abdulmalik had earlier ordered all parties not to take any action until the case is heard and decided.
After the court’s order, the Turaki-led PDP chairman appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal.
They also filed an application for a stay of proceedings in the suit pending the Appeal Court’s decision.
The Turaki group also asked the judge to step down from the case.
They argued that there exists a reasonable and well-founded apprehension of the likelihood of bias against them in the manner in which the judge had handled the suit.
At the resumed hearing, Justice Abdulmalik held that continuing the case would be futile, since an appeal had already been lodged at the appellate court.
She then adjourned the matter until Feb. 20 for a report on the Appeal Court decision.
In a related development, the judge dismissed another suit, filed on Friday by the PDP lead. Justice Abdulmalik dismissed the case after their lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, requested its discontinuance and asked the court to strike it out. Strike the matter out.
However, the judge dismissed the suit because issues had been joined.
The plaintiffs are the PDP, represented by its National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, and its National Secretary, Taofeek Arapaja. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2520/2025, they sued the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and the Nigerian Police as the 1st and 2nd defendants.
The plaintiffs had asked the court for an order directing the police officers to vacate their national headquarters at Wadata Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, among other reliefs.
But the judge had, on Jan. 16, made an order joining the parties seeking to be joined in the case. They are the acting National Chairman of the PDP’s Wike faction, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman; Sen. Sameul Anyanwu, who serves as National Secretary; and Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT).abunwa.