Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Kabiru Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, asked Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of a Federal High Court in Abuja, to stay further proceedings in the suit by a faction of the party in the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike.
Meanwhile, Justice Abdulmalik has fixed January 23 for hearing in the motion for stay to enable plaintiffs’ lawyer, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), file his response.
The Wike camp led by its acting National Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, is in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, seeking an order of injunction, restraining the Turaki leadership (5th to 25 defendants) from parading themselves as representatives of the PDP in any capacity whatsoever.
It also prayed the court to stop the police and Department of State Services (DSS) from allowing the Turaki faction access to the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
Besides, they sought an order of injunction restraining the the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting any other office address or any other address from the Turaki faction as the PDP’s office address other than as already contained in the commission’s records, among other reliefs.
The plaintiffs prayed the court to declare that INEC, police and the DSS are constitutionally bound to enforce and give full effect to the decisions of the Federal High Court in the judgments and ruling delivered by Justice James Omotosho and Justice Peter Lifu.
Justice Abdulmalik had earlier granted an ex-parte motion brought by the plaintiffs directing parties not to take any action pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
Following the order, the Turaki-led PDP challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal.
They also filed an application for the court to stay proceedings in the suit pending the decision of the Appeal Court.
The Turaki faction through its lawyer, equally filed a motion on notice asking Justice Abdulmalik to recuse herself from the case.
It argued that there exists a reasonable and well-founded apprehension of likelihood of bias against it in the manner the suit had been handled by the judge.
Justice Abdulmalik had, on December 5, 2025, adjourned the matter to January 14 to allow parties regularize their processes and for hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.
When the case was called on Wednesday, lawyer to the plaintiffs informed the court that on the last adjourned date, the court ruled that all pending applications would be taken together with the substantive case.
But Chief Chris Uche (SAN), who appeared for the Turaki faction, informed the court that on December 5, when the matter came up, they drew the attention of the judge to the motion for recusal, asking her to withdraw from the case.
The lawyer said the court then adjourned the matter for the plaintiffs to respond to their motion.
Uche said though Justice Abdulmalik made an order pending their motion for recusal, they had filed an appeal against the order.
“We filed an appeal against my lord’s decision and we have a duty to report to your lordship that, that appeal has now been entered in Court of Appeal numbered: CA/ABJ/CV/1770/2025.
“We have also filed an affidavit of facts of entering of the appeal in order to bring to your knowledge the entry of the appeal.
“Records have been fully transmitted and the plaintiffs are very much aware and have taken steps to file processes in the appeal,” he said.
He therefore, prayed the court to stay proceedings pending the determination of their appeal and urged the court to adjourn the matter sine die (indefinitely).
Responding, Ikpeazu admitted that though an appeal had been filed, it does not automatically translate into a stay of execution or proceedings.
He accordingly urged the court to proceed with the proceedings, having earlier made an order to take all the pending applications.
Responding, Justice Abdulmalik directed Ikpeazu to file a formal application in response to the motion for stay.
Justice Abdulmalik consequently adjourned the matter until January 23 for hearing of the application for an order staying further proceedings in the suit.
The Turaki faction in the motion on notice had prayed the judge to withdraw from the suit and remit the case file to the chief judge (CJ) for re-assignment to another judge for determination on its merit, citing alleged bias.
