The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has initiated legal proceedings in Nigeria’s Federal High Court in Abuja to confirm the suspension of its member, Senator Ireti Kingibe, and to legally bar her from presenting herself as a party member. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the ADC’s Wuse Ward Executive Committee in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), challenges the senator’s continued association with the party following her indefinite suspension last week.
The action arises from a decision by the Wuse Ward Executive Committee to suspend Senator Kingibe. The plaintiffs in the case are Okezuo Godfrey Kanayo, the ADC Ward Chairman, and Isaiah Ojonugwa Samuel, the Ward Secretary, who filed the suit both in their official capacities and on behalf of the committee. Their lawyer, Maxwell Opara, submitted the motion, which seeks a judicial declaration affirming the ward committee’s constitutional authority to discipline and suspend members within its jurisdiction.
Specifically, the court is asked to declare that Senator Kingibe’s suspension remains valid and that, for the duration of that suspension, she is prohibited from legally claiming membership or representing herself as a card-carrying member of the ADC. Furthermore, the suit seeks an injunction restraining the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) from recognizing or dealing with Kingibe as a member at any level while her suspension stands.
The legal foundation for the case references Sections 6(6)(b) and 251 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended), Article 16 of the ADC Constitution, and the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019. The plaintiffs also invoke the court’s inherent powers to interpret and enforce party constitutions. The case has been assigned the number FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2026 but, at the time of filing, had not yet been allocated to a specific judge for hearing.
This lawsuit underscores the intensifying internal party conflict within the ADC and seeks definitive judicial clarity on the powers of lower party organs versus national leadership in member discipline. The outcome will determine Senator Kingibe’s formal standing with the party in the immediate term and could set a precedent for handling similar disputes within Nigerian political parties. The court’s eventual ruling will directly impact the senator’s ability to operate under the ADC banner while the suspension is in effect.
