The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday dismissed a suit seeking judicial backing for the indefinite suspension of Senator Ireti Kingibe by the Wuse Ward chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
In a ruling that has generated fresh political reactions within the party, Justice Peter Lifu described the suit as frivolous, baseless and lacking merit, insisting that issues relating to discipline and suspension within political parties are internal matters that courts should not interfere with.
The court also imposed heavy financial penalties on the plaintiffs and their lawyer for bringing the matter before the court.
Justice Lifu awarded N10 million costs against the plaintiffs in favour of Senator Kingibe and imposed an additional N10 million penalty on the plaintiffs’ counsel, making a total of N20 million payable to the senator.
The ruling followed a legal battle triggered by the senator’s alleged suspension by executives of the Wuse Ward chapter of the ADC on March 10.
The ward leaders had accused Kingibe of anti-party activities, gross misconduct and disregard for the party’s constitution.
According to the ward executives, the suspension was approved by two-thirds of the leadership of the ward.
The plaintiffs, Okezuo Kanayo and Isaiah Samuel, who filed the suit on behalf of themselves and other ward members, approached the court seeking recognition and enforcement of the suspension.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CV/539/2026, the plaintiffs named Senator Kingibe as the sole defendant.
Through their lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kolawole Olowookere, the plaintiffs asked the court to restrain the senator from parading herself as a member of the ADC while the suspension remained in force.
They also requested an order preventing her from attending party meetings, carrying out activities reserved for ADC members or acting in any official capacity on behalf of the party.
The plaintiffs further sought to stop the senator from interfering in ward administration, including access to the ward register and participation in ward activities.
According to them, the disciplinary action followed allegations of anti-party conduct and confiscation of statutory ward documents.
They claimed the suspension process complied with the ADC constitution and was properly ratified by ward executives.
The plaintiffs also accused the senator of continuing to hold parallel meetings and issue statements as an ADC member despite being informed of her suspension.
They further alleged that she used security operatives to intimidate ward officials.
However, counsel to Senator Kingibe, Marshal Abubakar, strongly opposed the suit and urged the court to dismiss it entirely.
At the previous hearing, Abubakar argued that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the court.
He maintained that the ADC already had internal mechanisms for resolving disputes and disciplinary matters, which the plaintiffs allegedly failed to follow.
“The defendant was never invited for anything nor was there any complaint against her,” the lawyer told the court.
Abubakar also questioned the legal standing of the plaintiffs, arguing that they themselves had allegedly been suspended from the party and therefore lacked the authority to institute the suit.
He urged the court to strike out the case and award punitive damages against the plaintiffs for what he described as abuse of the judicial process.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu agreed with the defence argument that the case concerned the internal affairs of a political party.
The judge questioned why party officials who carried out the suspension would still seek judicial validation for the same decision.
According to him, if anyone felt aggrieved by the suspension, it should have been the senator herself approaching the court and not the party officials who imposed the sanction.
Justice Lifu said the plaintiffs’ decision to seek court endorsement showed lack of confidence in their own disciplinary action.
Relying on Sections 82 and 83 of the Electoral Act, the court dismissed the suit and imposed financial penalties on both the plaintiffs and their counsel.
The judgment has drawn attention because of the growing political influence of Senator Kingibe within the ADC and the wider opposition movement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Kingibe, who currently represents the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate, was elected in 2023 under the platform of the Labour Party before defecting to the ADC last year.
Her defection was part of a broader political realignment involving politicians from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Labour Party.
Some APC defectors were reportedly dissatisfied with the current political structure that emerged after the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023.
Others from opposition parties were said to have left because of leadership disputes and uncertainty over party direction.
The legal battle involving Kingibe is therefore being closely watched by political stakeholders who believe it reflects wider tensions within opposition politics ahead of the next election cycle.
As of the time of filing this report, the ADC national leadership had not officially reacted to the judgment.
For now, Senator Kingibe remains a recognised member of the ADC, while the controversial suspension by the Wuse Ward executives has effectively lost legal backing following the court’s decision.