The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned a legal challenge that seeks to prevent Senator Ireti Kingibe from presenting herself as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) until June 9, 2026. Justice Peter Lifu set the new hearing date after the plaintiffs’ counsel, I. G. Ogugwa, requested more time for proper adjudication.
On April 2, 2026, the court had refused to grant an interim order barring Kingibe from acting as an ADC member. Instead, Justice Lifu directed the plaintiffs to formally notify Kingibe to appear and explain why the court should not grant their demands. The matter was then adjourned to April 20, 2026, to hear all pending applications, including a preliminary objection filed by the senator’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar.
The suit was initiated by two ADC executive members in Wuse Ward, Abuja—ward chairman Okezuo Kanayo and secretary Isaiah Samuel. They filed an ex‑parte motion through their lawyer, Kolawole Olowookere, SAN, on March 17, 2026. In the motion, the plaintiffs sought an interim injunction to stop Kingibe from performing any party‑related functions or participating in ADC activities pending determination of the substantive case.
The plaintiffs argue that, although Kingibe is a sitting senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, she remains bound by the ADC’s constitution as a party member. They claim she was suspended on March 10, 2026, by the Wuse Ward Executive Committee following allegations of anti‑party activities, misconduct, and the alleged confiscation of the ward’s official records. The suspension, they say, followed due process under the party’s constitution and was ratified by a two‑thirds majority of the executive committee.
Olowookere alleged that Kingibe has continued to hold parallel meetings, issue press statements as an ADC member, and use her security personnel to intimidate ward executives, contributing to a breakdown of order within the party’s local structure. The case has drawn attention because it pits a high‑profile lawmaker against her own party’s internal disciplinary mechanisms, with potential implications for party discipline and the conduct of elected officials within Nigerian political parties.
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