The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed January 23, 2026, for the hearing of the application for stay of further proceedings filed by the Kabiru Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against a suit instituted by a faction of the party in the camp of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to the date to allow counsel for the plaintiffs, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, to respond to the motion for stay.
The Wike-led PDP and its acting National Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, alongside Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the factional National Secretary, had filed the suit.
The plaintiffs, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, had sought an order of injunction restraining the Turaki-led leadership (5th to 25th defendants) from parading themselves as representatives of the PDP in any capacity whatsoever.
They also prayed the court to stop the police and Department of State Services (DSS) from allowing the Turaki-led leadership access to the party’s national secretariat at Wadara Plaza in Abuja.
Besides, they sought an order of injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting any other office address or any other address from the Turaki-led leadership 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, the 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 rulings 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-led leadership, through their lawyer, also filed a motion on notice asking Justice Abdulmalik to recuse herself from the case.
They argued that there exists a reasonable and well-founded apprehension of likelihood of bias against them 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 to regularise their processes and for hearing of all pending applications and the substantive suit.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, lawyer to the plaintiffs, Ikpeazu, informed the court that on the last adjourned date, the court ruled that all pending applications would be taken together with the substantive case.
He said they were ready to proceed.
But Chief Chris Uche, SAN, who appeared for the Turaki-led leadership of the PDP, 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 the 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.