Court Fixes January 23 For Hearing On PDP Faction’s Stay Of Proceedings Application
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed January 23, 2026, to hear an application by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking to stay proceedings in a suit filed by a rival faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to allow the plaintiffs’ counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, to respond to the motion for a stay filed by the Turaki-led faction.
The Wike-aligned PDP, led by Acting National Chairman Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman and factional National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, filed the suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025) seeking to restrain the Turaki-led faction (5th to 25th defendants) from acting as representatives of the party or accessing the PDP national secretariat at Wadara Plaza, Abuja.
The plaintiffs also asked the court to prevent the police, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any office address submitted by the Turaki-led faction, insisting that previous High Court judgments by Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu be fully enforced.
The dispute escalated after Justice Abdulmalik granted an ex-parte order restricting action pending the suit’s determination. The Turaki-led faction challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal and filed a motion to stay further proceedings in the High Court pending the appeal.
Chief Chris Uche, SAN, representing the Turaki-led faction, also requested the judge recuse herself, citing a reasonable apprehension of bias and alleging that past rulings in similar PDP disputes favored the Wike-aligned faction. He urged that the case be reassigned to another judge.
Ikpeazu, counsel for the plaintiffs, countered that filing an appeal does not automatically halt proceedings, and the High Court has the power to continue the case while the appeal is pending. He added that the Turaki-led faction had not moved to set aside the prior orders.
Justice Abdulmalik directed the plaintiffs to formally respond to the stay application and adjourned the matter to January 23 for the hearing of the motion.
In their recusal motion, the Turaki faction cited twelve grounds, arguing their constitutional right to a fair and impartial hearing under Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, and highlighted prior ex-parte orders they claim prejudiced them in favour of the Wike-aligned faction.
