Court Dismisses Suit for Turaki-led PDP Recognition

On Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out a suit aimed at compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the Kabiru Turaki-led interim national working committee of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Justice Salim Ibrahim ruled that the plaintiffs, led by Adolphus Wabara, lacked the legal standing to institute the action.

The court upheld preliminary objections raised by INEC, stating that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a legal obligation for INEC to recognize the interim committee. The court emphasized that the case depended on whether INEC had a legal obligation to recognize the interim committee, which the plaintiffs could not establish.

Consequently, the court struck out the suit entirely and awarded N10 million in costs against the plaintiffs, directing that this amount be paid to the defendants to discourage frivolous political cases.