ABUJA COURT DISMISSES SUIT CHALLENGING IRETI KINGIBE’S SUSPENSION, IMPOSES N20M FINE ON PLAINTIFFS
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to validate the indefinite suspension of Senator Ireti Kingibe by the Wuse Ward chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu held that disciplinary and suspension issues within political parties are internal affairs that do not require court intervention.
He questioned why party officials who imposed the suspension would still seek judicial endorsement for their own decision, adding that it was the senator—if aggrieved—who should have approached the court.
The judge further noted that the plaintiffs’ attempt to obtain legal backing for the suspension suggested a lack of confidence in the process and described the case as frivolous, baseless, and unfounded.
Citing Sections 82 and 83 of the Electoral Act, Justice Lifu awarded N10 million in costs against the plaintiffs in favour of Senator Kingibe.
He also imposed an additional N10 million penalty on the plaintiffs’ counsel for filing what he termed a frivolous action, bringing the total award to N20 million.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Wuse Ward chapter of the ADC had on March 10 suspended Senator Kingibe over alleged anti-party activities and constitutional breaches, a move said to have been endorsed by two-thirds of ward executives.
The plaintiffs, Okezuo Kanayo and Isaiah Samuel, had filed the suit on behalf of themselves and other ward members, seeking to restrain the senator from presenting herself as an ADC member and from participating in party activities.
They also asked the court to stop her from attending meetings, interfering in ward administration, or accessing party records, alleging misconduct and misuse of security operatives.
However, counsel to the senator, Marshal Abubakar, argued that the matter was purely an internal party dispute and urged the court to dismiss it with punitive costs, noting that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing.
He also contended that the party had established procedures for resolving such issues, which were not followed.
On the other hand, counsel to the plaintiffs, I.G. Ogugua, argued that party autonomy is not absolute when constitutional provisions are violated.
Senator Kingibe, elected in 2023 on the Labour Party platform to represent the FCT, defected to the ADC last year amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections.
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