The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday dismissed a suit filed to validate the indefinite suspension of Senator Ireti Kingibe by the Wuse Ward chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

In his ruling, Justice Peter Lifu held that disciplinary matters and suspension issues within a political party are strictly internal affairs that do not warrant the intervention of the court.

The judge questioned why party officials who carried out the suspension would still seek judicial approval for the same action.

According to him, it was the senator, not the party executives, who should have approached the court if she considered the suspension unfair.

Justice Lifu noted that the plaintiffs’ move to obtain court backing for their decision reflected a lack of confidence in the suspension process itself.

He consequently described the suit as frivolous, baseless and unfounded.

Relying on Sections 82 and 83 of the Electoral Act, the court awarded N10 million costs against the plaintiffs in favour of Mrs Kingibe.

The judge also slammed an additional N10 million penalty on the plaintiffs’ counsel for filing what he termed a frivolous suit, with the amount equally payable to the senator.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Mrs Kingibe was allegedly suspended on March 10 by executives of the Wuse Ward chapter of the ADC.

Ward leaders accused her of anti-party activities and disregard for the party’s constitution.

The suspension was reportedly endorsed by two-thirds of the ward executives.

The plaintiffs, Okezuo Kanayo and Isaiah Samuel, filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CV/539/2026 on behalf of themselves and other ward members, naming the senator as the sole defendant.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kolawole Olowookere, instituted the case for the plaintiffs, seeking an interim injunction restraining the senator from presenting herself as a member of the ADC while under suspension.

They also asked the court to stop her from attending party meetings, carrying out functions meant for ADC members, or acting on behalf of the party in any capacity.

The plaintiffs further requested an order preventing her from interfering in ward administration, including access to the ward register and participation in official activities.

According to them, the suspension stemmed from alleged anti-party conduct, gross misconduct and confiscation of statutory ward documents.

They maintained that due process was followed in line with the ADC constitution and that the action was ratified by a two-thirds majority of the ward executive.

The plaintiffs additionally claimed that despite being informed of the suspension, Kingibe continued holding parallel meetings.

They also alleged that she kept issuing statements as an ADC member and used security operatives to intimidate ward executives.

At the previous hearing, counsel to Mrs Kingibe, Marshal Abubakar, argued that the matter lacked merit because it bordered solely on the internal affairs of the party.

Mr Abubakar urged the court to dismiss the suit with punitive costs.

He stated that the party already had laid-down procedures for resolving such disputes, which the plaintiffs allegedly failed to follow.

“The defendant was never invited for anything nor was there any complaint against her,” he said.

He further argued that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the suit because they themselves had been suspended by the party.

The defence lawyer asked the court to throw out the case entirely and award N25 million punitive damages against the plaintiffs.

However, counsel to the plaintiffs, I.G. Ogugua, urged the court to reject the defendant’s submissions.

Mr Ogugua argued that issues concerning the internal affairs of a political party cease to be sacrosanct once the party constitution is breached.

Mrs Kingibe, who won election into the Senate in 2023 under the Labour Party platform to represent the FCT, defected to the ADC last year.

Her move was part of the growing wave of defections involving politicians from the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party into the ADC.

Many APC defectors were reportedly politicians sidelined in the party’s current power structure following the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president in 2023.

For others from opposition parties, the defections were linked to lingering leadership crises in their former parties and ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

An aspirant for the 2027 gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom State, Senator John James Udoedehe, says the high level of poverty, unemployment and inequality ravaging the state motivated him to join the governorship race.

Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Thursday, Udoedehe who is running under the platform of African Democratic Congress, ADC, regretted that despite the humongous allocations to the present government, the problems continue to weigh the state down.

He said he is mentally and physically prepared to lift the people by not just creating wealth and employment but bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots, which according to him is very prominent in the state.

“What gives me strength and motivation to do what I’m doing is when I see the level of poverty, inequality unemployment in the state; I know I needed to do something. Any government that fails to answer these questions of poverty, inequality and unemployment has not started. The level of poverty in Akwa ibom is high, you see a man of 35 years having grey hair all over due to hardship.

‘’Check the budget of Akwa Ibom for the past two years weather it is speaking, weather the budget has a voice, not a matter of building blocks. The money Godswill Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel received all together for 16 years is not up to what governor Umo Eno has received for three years yet poverty is still walking in the streets of Akwa Ibom,” he said.

On the capacity of the ADC to win elections in Akwa Ibom, Udoedehe, who was a former national secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, said he brought APC to the state which has now become the ruling party, noting that with full grassroots sensitization and mobilization, the party shall succeed.

Addressing the allegation of being a chronic governorship aspirant, Udoedehe said he only appeared on ballot twice, saying he would not be deterred as he has high hopes of winning in 2027.

He cited the victories of governors Alex Otti of Abia State and Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, who failed multiple times before scaling through in their last attempts.

The guber aspirant also dismissed as baseless and false the insinuations that he was coming out to collect money from the government and chicken out mid-way, while leaving his teaming supporters stranded.

He said he had gone a long way and had been unjustly incarcerated because of his ambition, noting that it would be unwise for him to engage in such act.

‘’I am not coming to contest election because I want to collect money from anyone, I am contented with what I’m blessed with. This is mere blackmail and propaganda. I want Akwa Ibom people to leave joint stock hatred. I have not stolen the Commonwealth of the people.

‘’I have faced many ugly situations because of my people including imprisonment through emergency laws just to implicate me because of fighting for my people. People who are saying such things are sycophants and blackmailers who are busy endorsing Senator Akpabio even when they are not from Akpabio’s senatorial district.

‘’No matter the sentiments, I want Akwa Ibom people to try me in office as their governor. My conviction is that once Akwa Ibom people are enlightened properly, they would take decision in my favour in the 2027 election,” the aspirant said.