Court Under Fire: PDP Accuses Judge Of Bias In Wike-Turaki Showdown

The legal showdown over the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, as the faction led by Kabiru Turaki (SAN) filed a motion requesting that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik recuse herself from the case.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, challenges the validity of the PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State. Justice Abdulmalik adjourned both the main suit and related motions to January 14, 2026.

The recusal motion, filed by a team of seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) headed by Chief Chris Uche, represents former Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum and all officers elected at the Ibadan convention (the 5th to 25th Defendants/Applicants).

The applicants allege that there is a “reasonable and well-founded apprehension of likelihood of bias” in the way the suit has been managed. Prior to this, the Turaki faction had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, requesting that cases involving PDP internal disputes not be assigned to Justice Abdulmalik or two other judges, citing “past conduct and perceived partisanship.” Despite this, the case was still allocated to her.

The Turaki faction contends that although the judge refused an ex parte motion filed by the opposing Wike-aligned faction, she later issued an ex parte order on November 25, 2025, against their group. This order, they argue, prevented them from acting on behalf of the party, with its “format and template” reportedly resembling a previous order issued by Justice Omotosho in a related PDP dispute. They maintained that the orders, issued without real urgency, “directly impacted and determined the main substance of the suit.”

The motion emphasized that the constitutional guarantee of a fair hearing requires an impartial tribunal, and the circumstances “manifestly appear to be unfair.”

However, the court ruled that the recusal motion was not yet ready for hearing, as some parties had not been formally served. Consequently, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned proceedings until January 14, 2026, for both the pending applications and the substantive suit.

The original suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025), filed by the Wike-aligned faction, with Mohammed Abdulrahman (Acting National Chairman) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu (National Secretary) as plaintiffs, seeks to:

• Nullify the Ibadan convention and all its resolutions;

• Restrain the Turaki-led officers from presenting themselves as PDP representatives;

• Bar INEC from recognizing the Turaki faction;

• Direct security agencies (IGP, FCT CP, SSS) to provide protection for the plaintiffs to conduct business at the party’s official offices, Wadata Plaza and Legacy House.

A counter-suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/2520/2025) filed by the Turaki faction, requesting an order to have police vacate the Wadata Plaza party headquarters, was also adjourned to January 16, 2026.

Stay connected via Google News

Follow us for the latest travel updates and guides.