The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally requested that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja recuse herself from hearing a case involving the party’s leadership dispute.
The legal team representing Turaki’s faction, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Chris Uche, contended that there exists “a reasonable and well-founded apprehension of bias” regarding how the matter has been handled thus far.
The controversy stems from an earlier lawsuit filed by a rival PDP faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. This rival group, led by acting National Chairman Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, filed suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025 on November 21, 2025.
In their action, the plaintiffs—comprising the PDP, Abdulrahman, and factional National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu—sought court orders to prevent police and the Department of State Services from granting the Turaki-led leadership access to the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
The suit named several defendants, including the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police for the FCT Command, the DSS, as well as Turaki and other members of his faction.
In response, Turaki’s legal team filed a motion requesting Justice Abdulmalik’s recusal, arguing that circumstances have created reasonable doubt about whether they would receive fair and impartial treatment. They further requested that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court reassign the case to another judge for merit-based determination.
According to Uche, the case was improperly assigned to Justice Abdulmalik despite previous petitions and letters requesting reassignment due to perceived partisanship. He noted that an ex-parte order was issued against his clients on November 25, 2025, which he characterized as similar to previous orders despite no urgent circumstances warranting such action.
Uche emphasized a fundamental principle of justice, stating that judicial proceedings must not only be fair but must also appear fair to reasonable observers.
During Friday’s proceedings, lawyers representing various parties appeared before the court. The judge adjourned the matter to allow all parties to regularize their filings and scheduled January 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.
A second related suit filed by the Turaki-led faction (marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2520/2025) was also heard. In that case, Turaki, Taofeek Arapaja, and the PDP sued the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force, seeking an order directing police officers to vacate Wadata Plaza. Justice Abdulmalik ordered all parties to file their processes ahead of the next hearing on January 16, 2026.
The legal battle reflects the ongoing internal crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party as competing factions vie for control of the party’s leadership and assets.
