The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, has filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking official recognition of the party’s interim National Working Committee (iNWC).

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed on June 4 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The plaintiffs are asking the court to compel INEC to update its official records and publish on its website the names of the interim NWC members submitted by the PDP BoT and the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

Among the plaintiffs in the case are prominent PDP figures including Adolphus Wabara, former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Jerry Gana, Olabode George, Maryam Ciroma, Zainab Maina and Esther Uduehi. INEC is listed as the sole defendant.

The legal action follows a recent judgment by the Court of Appeal, which set aside significant portions of an earlier Federal High Court ruling delivered in Ibadan that had recognised a factional caretaker committee within the PDP.

In its unanimous judgment delivered on June 3, the appellate court held that the lower court granted reliefs that were not sought by the parties involved in the matter, thereby nullifying aspects of the previous ruling.

According to the plaintiffs, INEC is constitutionally and legally bound to comply with valid court judgments concerning disputes over the party’s leadership structure. They are therefore asking the court to direct the electoral commission to recognise all official communications, notices and engagements coming from the interim NWC established by the BoT and NEC.

In an affidavit supporting the suit, former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu explained that several party officials, including former National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, were suspended in November 2025 over allegations of misconduct, anti-party activities and insubordination.

Aliyu stated that subsequent court judgments upheld those suspensions and also nullified the PDP national convention held in November 2025. According to him, the resulting leadership vacuum prompted the BoT to establish an interim NWC pending the conduct of a valid national convention.

He further revealed that details of the interim leadership structure and portfolio assignments were formally communicated to INEC in May 2026. However, he alleged that the commission failed to update its records or acknowledge the interim committee despite receiving official correspondence.

The plaintiffs are now urging the Federal High Court to compel INEC to formally recognise the interim leadership arrangement pending the resolution of the party’s internal crisis.

As of the time of filing this report, the case had not yet been assigned to a judge.

The latest legal battle adds another layer to the prolonged leadership disputes within the PDP, which have continued to generate uncertainty over the party’s internal structure and direction ahead of future political contests.