Court dismisses suit seeking to bar Kingibe from ADC activities, awards ₦20m costs

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to stop Senator Ireti Kingibe from participating in the activities of the African Democratic Congress and from parading herself as a member of the party.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CV/539/2026, was filed by Okezuo Godfrey Anayo and Isaiah Ojonugwa Samuel, who claimed to be acting on behalf of the ADC Ward Executive Committee in the Federal Capital Territory.

The plaintiffs argued that Senator Kingibe was suspended by the Wuse Ward Executive Committee on March 10 over alleged anti-party activities and insubordination. They maintained that the suspension was subsequently ratified by a two-thirds majority of the party’s executive committee and sought a court declaration affirming its validity.

They also asked the court to restrain the lawmaker from presenting herself as a card-carrying member of the ADC and to prevent the party’s National Working Committee from recognising her during the period of the alleged suspension.

However, delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the case and awarded ₦20 million in costs against the plaintiffs in favour of Senator Kingibe.

The court held that the matter was an intra-party dispute, which falls outside its jurisdiction.

Justice Lifu ruled that the substance of the suit related to the internal affairs of a political party and therefore could not be entertained by the court.

The judgment effectively allows Senator Kingibe to continue participating in ADC activities, while the court’s decision reinforces the legal principle that internal party disputes are generally matters for political parties to resolve through their own mechanisms.